Back to the Beginning
by Myra109
Summary: The giant war has gone incredibly wrong. Gaea has won and Leo is the only one left to fix it. How? By going back in time to when this whole demigod mess began. Leo must change fate before it is too late. Language, bad nightmares, and maybe some violence but I'll try not to make it to graphic
1. Spiraling Down

_LEO VALDEZ TIME TRAVEL STORY! I have only very read one Leo Valdez Time travel story, so I'm really excited to write my own._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nada!_**

* * *

When Leo awoke, the first thought that came to his mind was, _'I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore.'_

The second was more appropriate _: 'what the hell?!'_

The son of Hesphestus sprang to his feet, ignoring the ache in his body from all of his injuries and the need to crash to the floor, while rifling through his toolbelt. Withdrawing two objects from the pockets, he hefted a Celestial Bronze hammer above his head with his right hand and stabbed the air with a flaming dagger in the other.

He was in what appeared to be a throne room, but it was different than the elegance of Olympus or the gloominess of Hades. This room was painted a dark red with a white tiled floor and torches lined the walls. Shadows decorated the walls in different shapes, such as temples, ships, and people, and giving the room an ominous touch. In the center of it all, on a raised dias, was a throne of pure white and green curtains contrasted with the darkness of the throne room.

"Hello, Leo Valdez," a voice spoke from the figure seated upon the throne.

How to describe him? Well, he was definitely different with long golden hair and skin so pale, Leo could almost see through it. His robes were a blinding yellow and a necklace that looked like an hourglass on a golden chain was suspended from his neck. But the weirdest of all were his eyes. They were clear- not gray or light blue or misty like the Fates'- completely clear, transparent even. But when Leo looked into them, he didn't see veins or blood vessels; he saw his life playing out before his eyes.

 _He saw his mother smiling at him when he was young..._

 _He witnessed Hera putting him in the hearth, allowing him to play with knives, and all of the other deeds she performed to train him to be her soldier..._

 _He relived every horrifying and memorable moment that took place while he was on the run or in foster care..._

 _He saw him, Jason, and Piper on the quest to save Hera and later, him and his siblings building the Argo II..._

 _He shivered at the memory of Annabeth and Percy glaring at him after he fired on New Rome..._

 _He trembled with the reminder of each of his friends' demise and the way the sky turned from blue to a murky mix of green and brown as Gaea took over the world..._

Leo had enough sense to tear his eyes away from the man's, but still, he kept them trained on the man's hands to detect any tricks.

"Who are you?" Leo demanded.

"I am Chronos," the man whispered, his voice old and hoarse, but Leo suspected that this man was more powerful than he was letting on, "with a C. I am the primordial god of time."

Leo reached into his mind in order to retrieve his Ancient Greek lessons with Annabeth. He could vaguely recall her telling him of the primordals, such as Chaos, Nyx, and Tartarus. He could remember her mentioning Chronos, but the memory was hazy and he couldn't retract the information regarding Chronos's allegiances.

"Calm, demigod," Chronos commanded. "I am here to help. Gaea has taken over the world. The other primordals and I discussed the world's fate with the Fates themselves and agreed that this should not happen. That's why we wrote the prophecies and sent messengers to the Earth, such as Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi. You should have defeated Gaea, but for some reason, this did not happen."

Chronos waved his hand and the shadows shifted into one mass, creating what appeared to be a very strange movie. The darkness collected into the image of a boy battling what appeared to be a woman. An odd orange light illuminated the tendrils that seemed to be shooting from the boy's hands as they wrapped around the lady before more light exploded.

The shadows displayed the boy falling with patches of orange and debris tumbling with him.

"As you see, son of Hesphestus," Chronos announced, "you should have been the one to defeat Gaea, using your fire, but this time around, someone interfered. We are not sure how this occurred yet, but for some reason that legacy of Apollo did not cause the explosion and therefore, Gaea conquered."

"So what does this have to do with me?" Leo asked.

Chronos smiled a thin grin. "Child, the Fates and the other primordals and I have decided to send someone back in time. To the beginning of the Titan War and stop the problem before it begins. By doing this, you will create an even better destiny, a better time line, than we set out for this generation. You are that someone."

Leo gaped. "Why me, though? Why not Kayla or Miranda or Chris? Why me?"

"Because you have the strongest spirit. The ability to lighten a situation with a few words and your personality. The ability to spread hope and happiness when it's needed the most. That is what I need, Leo Valdez."

The mechanic stared at the ground in shock. "How would I do this, sir?"

"However you see fit, child," Chronos answered. "You make the decision. I will guide you when you truly need it, but I trust that you will make the right decisions."

Leo didn't respond for a moment. He was thinking of his friends, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, everyone. Could he really save them?

"If I do this, can I save my friends?"

Chronos once again smiled. "Child, if you want to save them, you can. If you don't, then don't. But I believe that you want that more than anything. Will you accept?"

Leo met Chronos's eyes and saw his friends' faces flash before him. He had to stop this. "Yes, I accept."

"I knew you would. I will be sending you back to the very beginning, where everything went wrong. You will awaken at Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, the home of Medusa. Percy Jackson with two companions will arrive there and you will join them on their quest to retrieve Zeus's Master Bolt and stop World War III. When you awaken, you would have just turned eleven years old. Go, Leo Valdez and save as many as possible."

And then, he was falling, spiraling down into a vortex of shadows and fire until he hit the ground and knew no more.

* * *

Percy hated this. He, along with Annabeth and Grover, were trudging through the woods, stumbling over branches and roots and all around having a very bad day. The trio hadn't conversed since Percy had had a rather heated conversation with Annabeth and when Percy smelled food, things seemed to be looking up.

They halted on top of a high hill that overlooked a small diner/shop surrounded by statues, some polished while others were covered in layer upon layer of dust. Florescent lighting shining through the windows, but that was the only sign of life. A neon sign read something like ' _Nuaty Me's Danger Ognem Pemronimu.'_

Sorry, Percy's dyslexic, part of the whole demigod thing, so words often got mixed up in his brain. The son of the sea glanced at Annabeth, but she seemed just as confused as he. It was hard to imagine the know it all daughter of Athena having dyslexia, but then again, all half bloods had it and ADHD and it was a very rare thing when they didn't have at least one of them.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," Grover translated. His whiskery chin was trembling. " I don't know about this, guys. Something smells off."

"Your nose is still clogged up from the furies," Percy pointed out and he could've sworn he saw a look of hurt flash across Grover's face, but he was too distracted by the amazing smell of hamburgers and greasy fries.

"Yeah, Grover," Annabeth agreed. "We're all hungry. What can it hurt to stop and eat something?"

The Ocean's child and Wisdom's daughter marched ahead towards the building, and the satyr reluctantly followed.

Percy knocked and the door was swung open by a pale woman, dressed in a black dress that covered every bit of her skin except for her hands, neck and face. A dark cloth encircled her head, hiding her hair and huge sunglasses hid her eyes.

"Hello, children," she greeted in a sweet voice that sounded confused and concerned. "Where are your parents?"

"We're orphans," he lied. "We got separated from our caravan. Our circus caravan. The ringleader told us to meet him at the gas station, but maybe he forgot or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost, is that food I smell?"

"Of course, come on in, dearies," the woman ushered them inside. "Please, call me Aunty Em."

"Circus caravan?" Annabeth murmured, perplexed.

"I panicked, okay!"

Aunty Em rushed to the back to whip up some food for the trio while the three were left alone.

"Look, something's weird, guys, and don't you remember the prophecy?" Grover hissed.

Percy shivered; how could he forget?

 _*FLASHBACK*_

 _Percy stared in horror as the mummy began to slowly move, straightening and opening it's decaying mouth from which green mist poured._

 _ **"I am the Oracle of Delphi,** " her voice was like nails on a chalk board, " **speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, Seeker, and ask."**_

 _The son of Poseidon gulped. "What is my destiny?"_

 _The mist swirled in huge tendrils around the mummy until it formed an image of seven people._

 _One looked like him with green eyes and black hair, but he was at least four years older. His muscles were more prominent and his skin was tanner. Around his body were purple robes and a white toga. There was a tattoo on the inside of his arm._

 _Another reminded him of that girl, Annabeth, with blonde curls in a ponytail and startling storm clouds for eyes. She wore a Camp shirt and jeans shorts, her dagger suspended from a cord around her waist. The girl was around sixteen._

 _The third he didn't recognize. He was blonde and fairly muscular with electric blue eyes. The male wore a purple shirt that read Camp Jupiter and jeans. There was small scar on his upper lip and a tattoo on his forearm._

 _The fourth had choppy brown hair, threaded with an eagle feather. She wore a snowboarding jacket and ripped jeans. Her eyes were ever changing like a kaleidoscope: green, brown, blue, and everything in between._

 _The fifth had curly cinnamon brown hair and eyes of pure gold. Her skin was dark and she was the youngest at twelve or thirteen. She wore the same clothes as the blonde, but a golden sword was clenched in her hand._

 _The sixth was burly and Asian with a buzz cut and a bow and quiver slung over his back. Once again, the violet shirt and jeans showed up and he was pry fifteen._

 _The final one was a scrawny Latino with impish features, tan skin, and pointy ears. He had brown hair and eyes to match, so full of humor and mischief. Dawning a toolbelt, he wore an oil covered shirt and ripped jeans with suspenders._

 _The Percy look a like opened his mouth and spoke in the Oracle's scratchy voice. " **You shall go west and face the god who has turned."**_

 _The Annabeth twin stepped forward **. "You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned. "**_

 _The blonde boy took over. " **You shall find the Flame at the monster's lair."**_

 _The rebellious looking girl began. " **He shall protect you with a friend's care."**_

 _Golden sword girl opened her lips. " **You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. "**_

 _" **You shall fail to save what matters most in the end,"** the archer hissed._

 _Finally, the mechanic held up seven strings, each a different color. One was ocean blue; another gray; a third was electric blue; a fourth was a bright green; a fifth was golden; a sixth displayed a reddish brown color; and finally, an orangish red strand. With the Oracle's voice, he spoke, " **The broken strings, the Flame shall mend."**_

 _The vision vanished in a swirl of green and all that was left was a mummy on a three legged stool._

 _*FLASHBACK OVER*_

As Percy came out of his memory, he saw Aunty Em beckoning them outside, saying something about getting a picture, and his quest mates looked incredibly anxious.

"Come on, guys, what can it hurt?" Percy laughed and followed Aunty Em out into the garden. The woman positioned them on a bench: Grover on the left, Percy on the right, and Annabeth in the middle. "Where's your camera?"

"Oh, I don't need one, dearie," Aunty Em called and reached up to undo the cloth around her head.

"That is Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover squawked and dove behind a bush.

"Percy, get down!" Annabeth warned.

The son of the sea obeyed, shielding his eyes and stumbling to get away from the monster. From Medusa.

Unfortunately, his plan didn't work so well. Percy tumbled to the ground, smacking his head on a rock, and he could hear snakes hissing as Medusa approached him.

"You looked just like your father," Medusa whispered, fondly, and she stroked the side of his face. Percy recoiled. "Come on, Percy, sneak... a... peak."

The boy felt the need to look into her eyes, to see what she looked like, and he found his head drifting higher and higher to stare at her...

"Percy, no!" He heard Annabeth scream.

Then, a shick! sound was made and a wet plop! pierced the night as Medusa's slimy head landed a foot away from Percy, face down.

Leo Valdez promptly crashed to the ground, his dagger flying away from him.

* * *

 _what did you think of chapter one? in a lot of time travel stories I've read, the character gets a lot of help from the person that sent them back in time, but Leo will be mostly on his own in my story._

 _Now, TRIVIA!_

 _I do his trivia thing where I ask you a trivia question and the first person to answer correctly gets a character of their choice in the story. I'll probably do it for the first ten chapters, take a break from trivia for five, and do it for ten more, and so on._

 ** _What magical item did Luke Castellan give Percy before he left on the quest in the Lightning Thief?_**


	2. The Flame

_After suffering a week of horrible writers block, I am finally back!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Who is he?" A female voice- a very familiar one at that- intruded his ears and processed in his foggy mind, but that voice refused to match up with a face.

"You think I know?" Another familiar voice squawked in suprise. "I've never seen this kid in my life! Grover?"

"I've never seen him before," a male voice responded. "He smells like a child of Hephaestus- motor oil and fire- but I can't be sure. All I know is that he's extremely powerful- not only by his scent, but also because he snuck up on freaking Medusa and killed her!" The voice sounded so shocked, Leo would've laughed if he could; he'd defeated worse monsters during the Giant War.

"Should we wake him up?" Hands were shaking him awake and Leo wanted to tell the person to go away, but found his mouth glued shut and with a lot of difficulty, opened his brown eyes.

He recognized the boy looming over him. The boy was roughly twelve with wild black locks and sea green eyes. He was scrawny and naturally tan, wearing a Navy blue hoodie, a green tee, and ripped up jeans. There was a ball point pen in his hand.

Percy Jackson. That's who this was, but why was he twelve?

The memories can rushing back to him, hitting him full force and he groaned in pain as a headache threatened to overwhelm him.

He reached his hand up to his head and cradled it. "Ow," he mumbled.

"Yeah, you got a pretty good sized bump there," younger Grover said as he handed him a zip lock baggie of ice.

"Thanks," Leo muttered and then decided that he had to play the part, or suspicion would become inevitable. "Who are you! And why are you being so nice to me?"

"Well, one, you saved our lives," Annabeth spoke up. "Remember?"

"Just helping out a fellow demigod," he replied. "Trust me, fighting monsters is not fun."

Percy chuckled. "That we can agree on. I'm Percy Jackson."

"Leo Valdez." They shook hands with identical good natured grins.

"Annabeth Chase," the daughter of Athena introduced.

"Grover Underwood," the satyr greeted. "So I'm going to guess you know what you are?"

Leo nodded. "Son of Hephaestus."

Grover nodded. "I'm a satyr. Percy's a son of Poseidon and Annabeth's a daughter of Athena."

Leo nodded. "Nice to meet you guys, so anyone want to tell me how you wandered into Medusa's lair? Didn't the statue obsession make it pretty obvious?"

Percy stuttered. "Um... well... I- we- why were you hanging around you there?" He asked abruptly.

"I don't really come by here very much, but occasionally, I have to pass through these woods. I heard fighting and I ran to help," Leo answered.

Annabeth nodded. "Well, we're on a quest."

"Quest from the gods?" Leo questioned, acting like he was in the dark about all of that.

"Do you know about Camp Half Blood?" Grover asked after exchanging a look with his companions.

Leo frowned. He'd always felt a bit offended by the name and now was the time to voice that. "Should I be offended by that?"

Annabeth sniffled a laugh. "No, the camp director chose the name. It's a safe place for demigods."

"If I knew about a safe place for people like me, I wouldn't be on the streets, " Leo pointed out. "What's it like?"

The group launched into a whole explanation on Camp Half Blood: how it was protected from monsters; you got to learn stuff like sword fighting and battle tactics; and how there were tons of other demigods there.

Leo had heard it all before from Will Solace and had seen it first hand, but the trio described it in depth and it sounded so much more fun than when Leo had been there.

He smiled in awe and happiness at the memories of his true home; it would be even better when it wasn't broken by the tragedy and hardships of war.

His smile almost dropped, but in order to keep up the charade, he kept it plastered upon his face.

A war was coming- two wars actually. Oh gods, how was he going to save them all? He was a sixteen year old trapped in a twelve years old's body; neither ages very capable of fighting in a war. But then again, he'd done it once and during the quiet moments on the Argo II, Percy and Annabeth had shared a whole bunch of stories with them about previous quests.

"Hey, guys, can I talk to you?" Percy suddenly interrupted Annabeth's speech on the architechture of Camp. "We'll be right back, Leo."

They walked over to the side and had a hushed conversation, leaving Leo alone to begin his planning.

Okay, so they mentioned that they were on the quest to retrieve Zeus's stolen master bolt, meaning that this was their first quest. In the future, Percy had laid out the events: defeating the fury; the Minotaur attacking and stealing his mother; going on the quest; the furies attacking them on the bus; and then there was Aunty Em's, where they were now.

Let's see, what happened after that?

He vaguely remembered them mentioning getting directions from a poodle, but he wasn't sure what that meant and it had seemed more like a joke than potential danger, so he wouldn't try to change that.

The St. Louis Arch. He wasn't sure what to do about that, but there was no way he was letting Percy get poisoned or a Chimara drive a few innocent mortals insane. No way. He'd work on that plan later.

After that, there's Ares and the water park... so much to do, so much he needs to change.

"Leo?" Percy's voice startled him from his thoughts and he looked up at the trio. "We want you to come with us on the quest," he blurted, bluntly.

"We understand if you won't," Grover rushed to assure him, "but we think you could help us."

"It'll be dangerous," Annabeth added. "Monsters, gods, a bunch of crazy stuff occurring. Are you up to it?"

Leo almost laughed. He'd been through a war that made this quest look like a wrestling match between newborn babies. To avoid sounding insane, he choked back the chuckle and spoke.

"Trust me, I've been in bad situations involving about a dozen monsters at once, a collapsed machine shop, and a babysitter that let me play with knives. If this quest doesn't kill me, everyday life will," Leo stated.

Percy laughed. "Good point. Think you can stand up?"

Leo stood and... promptly crashed to the floor. Apparently, he wasn't used to his twelve year old body yet.

"I meant to do that," he blushed as he stood and faced the chuckling demigods. "Whose ready to go on a life threatening quest?"

"Not me," the two half bloods and satyr said in unison.

"Me neither. Let's go, cupcakes!" He shouted, pulling a Coach Hedge as he slung the bag that had mysteriously appeared when he'd time traveled and skipped ahead of the severely weirded out demigods.

"Cupcakes?" Percy asked, perplexed.

"Insult I learned from my insane PE teacher," Leo chirped. "Yeah, don't get on his bad side or he'll wack you with a baseball bat!"

The others laughed, but Leo just blinked.

"I'm not kidding; that guy gave Chris Wheeler a concussion and still kept his job. I still wonder how he managed that one."

The others shrugged and they began to trek through the woods until they found a small clearing- away from the mortals and hopefully monsters. Perfect.

"You guys hungry?" Leo asked as he rummaged through his pack. The others nodded to the point that their heads looked like bobble heads. "Dont worry, so am I."

Fighting monsters was hard work and Leo hadn't eaten since hours before the final battle and even though his body was younger, he felt the hunger of his last moments combined with the starvation he'd suffered whilst running away from another foster home.

Leo broke out some cooking supplies, which he was surprised Chronos had packed for him, but extremely grateful, and set to work. As the others conversed over what to do on the quest, Leo whipped up some tofu burgers.

"Well, fellow questioneers! I have whipped up some of Leo Valdez's famous tofu burgers!" He said as he set out a plate in front of each of them and all of them dug in.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" Percy exclaimed.

"When you live on the streets, you pick up a few things, like how to make food out of almost nothing and running ten miles up a mountain!" Leo cheered as he dug in.

"Why were you running up a mountain?" Annabeth questioned.

Leo realized his slip too late; people don't just run up a mountain for fun and rarely when they need to. "It's a very long story," he groaned, "involving a run in with some monsters and weird immortal girls that call themselves the Hunters of Artemis."

"You met the Hunters?" Grover drooled.

"Only once and I wouldn't willingly do it again. They looked ready to kill me by the time they left the cave, " Leo laughed.

"Hey, guys," Percy said as he finished his tofu burger. "I'm gonna catch some z's."

"Cool," Leo called.

"'Kay," Grover mumbled through a mouthful of paper and tofu burger taco.

"Me too," Annabeth said as she laid down.

"Hey, Grover, you go to sleep. I'll take first watch," Leo offered, despite his mounting exhaustion.

"No," Grover said, firmly. "With an injury like that, you need as much rest as possible."

"No... I can... okay, maybe just... a few minutes," Leo stammered as he laid down and as soon as his head hit the ground, he was fast asleep.

Of course, he had to dream.

* * *

 _Well, until next time I guess. Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews; they really made me day!_

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What is the name of the new activities director in Sea of Monsters- the one from the Fields of punishment?_**


	3. A Pink Poodle Named Gladiola

_I'm back after so long... I'm ashamed._

 ** _Guest:_** _you mentioned that Leo is the same age as Percy and Annabeth, so he will have a bond with them instead of Piper and Jason. Well, I have a way around that, but you'll have to wait until the Last Olympian to find out. (I know- I'm evil)_

 ** _Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own anything. Why must you make me say it?_**

* * *

 _"Hello, Leo Valdez."_

 _Leo almost screamed at the sudden sleepy voice that invaded his dreams, but he swallowed the yelp that made its way up his throat. After he did that, he focused on his surroundings and almost cried._

 _It was Camp Half-Blood after Gaea took over. Everyone of the seven except Leo, Hazel, and Frank were dead by that point, so they were the only ones to return to camp and in a way, Leo was grateful for that._

 _The cabins were burned to the ground. The bodies of the dead were sprawled across the smoldering grass and the Big House was still burning with red-hot flames. Chiron himself lay on the porch, burned into a barely recognizable mess covered with burns and without a doubt dead. Thalia's tree had been cut down to just a stump with puddles of blood and flakes of purple scales that had once been Peleus lay scattered around it._

 _Leo wanted to vomit, but he managed to stagger forwards and Hazel and Frank did the same as they began to gather up the dead to give them a proper burial._

 _As Leo turned over one body, Leo Valdez screamed, startling the other two demigods because Leo hadn't shown any emotion since Jason died all those months ago._

 _It was Harley Davids, his youngest brother, the kid that had looked up to him when he was at camp before the quest. His face was covered in bruises and his little body was broken with limbs twisted at odd angles and a sword jutting out of his gut._

 _"Harley," he sobbed._

 _"Leo," Hazel whispered, moving to place a hand on his shoulder, but before she could, a voice interrupted them._

 _"The poor child of Hephaestus... both of them, really. Harley, who's last prayer was that his big brother would save him and Leo Valdez, finding the body of his little brother on a field of blood and death," Gaea's voice made the earth tremble._

 _Leo looked up at the sky, now murky brown and green, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I HATE YOU, GAEA! YOU GOT MY LITTLE BROTHER, MY FRIENDS, EVERYONE KILLED! I PROMISE YOU, I WILL DEFEAT YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"_

 _Leo's statement was said with such rage and truth that it even frightened the daughter of Pluto and the child of Mars._

 _Gaea chuckled. "Good luck with that, Leo Valdez. I think I'll let you suffer a little bit longer, but the other two are just getting in the way of completely and utterly breaking you."_

 _The earth erupted in a cloud of dirt and mud and earth (solid chunks that smacked Leo in the head and broke a few of his bones)._

 _When the air cleared, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang were gone._

* * *

Leo awoke with a gasp and found himself almost cracking his forehead against Grover's.

"Woah, buddy!" The satyr yelped. "You slept through the night."

"And you kept watch the entire time. Trust me, I know from personal experience that going too long without sleep can cause bad things to happen," Leo said, remembering that time he stayed up all week working on the Argo II and nearly got his head taken off during sword fighting before passing out and getting locked in the Infirmary.

Grover smiled, feeling touched at how concerned this guy had been for him. "No, Percy, Annabeth, and I alternated, but you looked like you needed your rest, so we left you be."

"Thanks," Leo lied. He actually wished they had woken him up and interrupted his dream; out of everything, that was the thing he didn't want to remember most.

"Did you have a dream?" Grover asked, bluntly.

Damn it, he'd forgotten satyrs could read emotions!

"Yeah."

"What was it about?"

"Just... memories," Leo replied, vaguely. "Are the others up yet?"

Grover knew Leo didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't push him. "Not yet. I'm gonna wake up Annabeth and have her wake up Percy."

"Why her?"

"Percy's really cranky in the morning."

"Have Annabeth do it, then."

Grover laughed. "Agreed, brother. Here, help me wake up Annabeth."

Leo sat up to do so, but froze when he saw the sight before him.

"Poodle," he stated and sure enough, a bright pink poodle sat before him, situated with its paws upon the ground and his head rested atop them.

"Yap!" It barked happily and bounded over to hop into Leo's lap.

"He likes you," Grover stated the obvious. "Something about you having good character."

"Excuse me?" Leo asked, petting the poodle when it nudged him.

"Dogs are good judges of character, and apparently, you have good character," Grover explained.

"Well... thank you, Mr. Poodle, " Leo muttered. "How very kind of you to analyze my character," he said, sarcastically, a little weirded out that a satyr can read his emotions and a poodle can judge his character. What next? A cat that can smell his fear?

... Don't answer that.

"Oh, how rude of me," Grover said when the poodle yapped at him in irritation. "Leo, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, this is Leo Valdez."

"Hello," he greeted, a little hesitantly. "Why is Gladiola at our camp site?"

"I'll explain it to you after I wake the others up." Grover walked over to wake Annabeth.

She sat up and started rambling off questions. "Are there monsters? What time is it? Is Seaweed Brain still asleep? And why is there a poodle on Leo's lap?"

"One, there are no monsters," Leo began. "Two, it is..." he checked his watch, "8:33 AM on the dot. Three, yes, Percy is still asleep, and we need you to wake him up. And finally, this is Gladiola. By the way, you have way better attention than I do. It took me like five minutes to notice her-"

Gladiola yapped angrily.

"Him," Leo corrected. "Now, wake up Seaweed Brain and Grover will tell us why there is a poodle in our camp site."

Annabeth nodded, still staring at the poodle like it may turn into a monster and eat her.

Percy didn't mention that, so Leo prayed that would not happen.

Could that even happen? Probably, I mean with everything that happened during the war, nothing could really surprised Leo anymore.

He would never forget those little mischievous dwarves/monkeys (he still didn't know what they were) that pantsed him! Or that time he walked in on Jason singing the Superman theme song in the shower. That had been embarrassing for both of them.

"Leo?"

"Huh?" Leo looked up, and saw that his ADHD was acting up again because now, Percy was awake (looking very cranky with a bad case of bed head as Grover had promised) and Gladiola was yapping to get Leo's attention.

"Sorry, I'm back. What were we talking about again?" Leo asked.

"Why the poodle is here," Percy answered.

The poodle yelped.

"He has a name, Perce," Grover said.

"Okay, why Gladiola is here," Percy snapped. Wow, he is cranky. Then again, Leo had known that from his time on the Argo II with the son of the sea.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. The poodle had run away from a rich local family, who'd posted a $200 reward for his return. Gladiola didn't really want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy asked.

"He read the signs," Grover said. "Duh."

"Of course," Percy said. "Silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola," Annabeth explained in her best strategy voice, which Leo and future Percy called her 'Wise Girl' voice (behind her back of course; not even they were stupid enough to say that to her face). "We get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles. Simple."

"Not another bus," the raven haired boy said warily.

"No," Annabeth agreed.

She pointed downhill, toward train tracks Leo hadn't been able to see last night in the dark. "There's an Amtrak station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the west-bound train leaves at noon."

* * *

 _How'd you like chapter three? Review!_

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _How old is Harley?_**


	4. We Don't have Any Luck, Do We?

_Hello again!_

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

 ** _"What the-what the heck?"_**

 ** _"Stop babbling, Leo, and do the disclaimer. P.S, you are amazing."_**

 ** _"Well... thank you, but who are you, where an I, and I should I get my dag- where's my toolbelt?"_**

 ** _"I had to take that away from you. Now, I'm Myra109, and do the disclaimer."_**

 ** _"Fine, Myra109 owns nothing except her weirdness."_**

 ** _"I'll take that as a compliment."_**

* * *

On the train, the others slept like the dead, but Leo couldn't bring himself to drift off.

He was exhausted; apparently, the physical and mental exhaustion he'd experienced before time travel had followed him to the past, which explained why he slept so much the previous night. He probably could've slept the entire train ride if his mind would let him.

But his mind was filled to the brim with doubts and worries. What if he couldn't save as many people as he needed too? What if his mission failed? What if he was found out; how would he explain everything? Hell, except for Percy's stories on the Argo II, he had no knowledge of anything that would occur. What if those stories weren't enough?

But he was Leo Valdez, and Leo Valdez always spread hope, even when he himself didn't have any. That's what he did, and that's what he would continue to do because if not him, then who would?

"I won't help you," he heard Percy mutter.

At first, Leo was confused as to what that was about until he remembered future Percy telling him that he used to dream about Kronos trying to convince him to help the Titans. Especially during his first quest and in the Labyrinth.

He wanted to wake Percy up, but the boy needed sleep. Yet, he was having a nightmare, so...

Leo shook his shoulder. "Dude, wake up, you're having a nightmare."

"What?" Percy mumbled, sitting up. "How'd you know?"

"You talk in your sleep."

Percy nodded. "Shouldn't you be asleep? You look dead on your feet."

Leo chuckled. "My mind won't let me sleep. And besides, I slept a lot last night."

"Still, dude, you need it. Annabeth told me to sleep while you can on quests," he said with a smile.

Leo laughed. "Yeah, I feel you. I've never been on an official quest, but running from monsters, you learn to survive on minimal sleep."

Percy nodded. "Story of my life since this whole demigod thing began."

"I'm like a monster magnet," Leo challenged. "Been the story of my life since I was eight."

"Basically our lives suck," Percy summed up.

Leo gasped in mock surprise. "What gave you that idea? The monsters? The life threatening quests? The torturous dreams? Yeah, I'd say our lives suck."

Percy laughed. "I like you, Valdez. You got a good sense of humor."

"It is one of my many talents," Leo said in a mock superior voice. "Thanks, though. I try."

"Could you guys be quiet? Some of us are trying to sleep," Annabeth grumbled, adjusting her body so she faced away from them.

"Food," Grover mumbled.

Percy and Leo looked at each other... and promptly burst out laughing.

"Probably the only good thing that comes out of the demigod world," Leo said, "is that you make friends with people you wouldn't if you weren't an demigod." Like Jason, Piper, the rest of the seven, Nyssa... Harley.

Leo's heart constricted when he thought of Harley. Out of all of the deaths during the war, Harley's had hurt him the most.

"Amen, brother," Percy said. "If I weren't a demigod, I wouldn't have met you three."

A heartbeat of silence and Leo said, "Okay, sappy moment over."

The train pulled into the station, not a moment later, and Annabeth, like she hadn't been chastising them for waking her up a minute ago, leaped off of her seat.

"Come on," she said, excitedly, practically punching Grover as she woke him. "Let's go see the arch."

Leo had been to Rome, Greece, California, and everything in between and even he could say that the Arch was mighty impressive.

He remembered Annabeth- future Annabeth- telling him how it represented the Gateway to the West and he must say, it sure did appear to be a gate. It had to be at least 600 feet tall, if not more. He wondered how they'd managed to hide the cables that pulled the elevator up though. Whoever had come up with the idea on how to hide them must have been a brilliant engineer.

"Awesome," Leo voiced and Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"That's one word to describe it."

"Guys," Percy suddenly said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade-"

Grover cleared his throat. "We're in a public place... You mean, our friend downstairs?"

"Um, right," he said. "Our friend way downstairs. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

Leo snorted. "Yeah, Percy, I'm sure our friend way downstairs would love to have his mighty helm of darkness compared to an invisibility cap. That's like comparing your father's trident to a gigantic fork."

Percy nodded. "Fair enough, but you gotta admit, it does look like fork."

A slight tremor ran through the earth, almost barely noticeable.

"Okay," Leo said, warily, staring at the ground. "I hope that was your dad laughing, and not like him or our friend downstairs cursing us."

"Anyway, the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth interrupted. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" Percy asked.

She nodded. "It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus-the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true..."

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover confirmed. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

Reminds me of the Nico incident, Leo thought before shivering. Bad thoughts, Leo, bad thoughts.

"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Grover exchanged looks.

"We don't," Grover said.

"Theoretically," Leo said, "somebody's always watching. If it's not our friend downstairs, it's one of our parents, the King, or one of the other gods. Gods are always watching; I've learned that over the years."

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better," Percy said, sarcastically. "Got any blue jelly beans left?"

Finally, the quartet were allowed to board an elevator and Leo and Percy immediately had panic attacks.

Sea and fire are alike in many ways. For one, they don't like to be restrained and therefore, Leo and Percy had always been uncomfortable in cramped spaces.

But Leo had also been locked in a burning warehouse and forced to listen to his mother's dying screams, so he wasn't too fond of cramped spaces.

"You two alright?" Grover asked, looking concerned.

"I hate cramped spaces," the two said in unison before glancing at each other and shrugging.

Leo glanced around, hoping to find something to distract himself. And he did, but that wasn't a good thing.

The only other person in the elevator was a fat woman, wearing a green dress that reminded Leo of snake skin. Her eyes glinted yellow, but if Leo wasn't so experienced with seeing through the mist, he would've mistaken them for green. By her feet, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar snarled at them. (I know Echidna didn't really look like this, but this is how I pictured the mother of monsters)

"No parents?" the fat lady asked.

"They're below," Annabeth told her. "Scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled. The woman said, "Now, now, sonny. Behave."

The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

Percy said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No," the lady told them.

She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

Finally, the demigods arrived at the top and Annabeth launched into an entire monologue on the Arch and how she would change this and that. Leo threw in some comments here and there about the engineering, but mostly his gaze was focused on the woman and her dog.

Grover had noticed his strange behavior, but hadn't put the pieces together yet and Leo wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

The security guard soon announced that the observation deck would be closing soon, so Grover, Annabeth, and a few others loaded onto the elevator.

When Percy and Leo got ready to step on, the guard told them to wait for the next ride.

Grover and Annabeth prepared to step off, but Leo knew that Echidna would just attack all four of them instead of two. Percy had the water and Leo could take care of himself, but if Grover and Annabeth got injured, saving them would be difficult, maybe impossible.

"You guys go ahead. We'll follow you down," Leo said and the pair, looking worried, allowed for themselves to be carried down by the elevator.

Percy and Leo were left with a mortal family (two parents and a small child).

The Chihuahua suddenly started jumping up and down and started yapping at Leo and Percy.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at them, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

"Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

Percy asked, uneasiness radiating from his voice.

"Chimera, dear," the fat lady corrected. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing that the skin of her arms was scaly and green. When she smiled, her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were side-ways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall its back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA-RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS-IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS-EXT. 954.

Now, Leo had faced Chirmeras before, but that didn't mean they didn't still scare the Hades out of him.

Leo drew a dagger from his belt and got ready to fight the mother of all monsters.

* * *

 _How'd you like the chapter? Review!_

 _Trivia:_

 ** _What is Nyssa's last name?_**


	5. Becoming The Enemy of the Monster Mother

_The last question was hard. The main guess was Steel, but don't worry, I though it was too until I looked it up. According to the three different websites I looked at, Nyssa's last name is Barrera._

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

 ** _"Leo, where are we?"_**

 ** _"Well, Nico, apparently, some chicken named Myra109 has kidnapped us. I suggest you just do what she says; she's a little... off pudding._**

 ** _"Thank you, Leo. Nico?"_**

 ** _"No!"_**

 ** _"I'll deal with you later. Leo?"_**

 ** _"Myra109 owns nothing, not even us!"_**

 ** _"I shall soon change that... JK."_**

* * *

The Chimera lunged right off the bat and Percy drew his blade, bit his hands were shaking pretty badly. Still, Leo was glad to know that Percy was brave enough to fight this thing and not curl into a ball and wait for death (he'd seen that happen before when the demigods were just too tired of fighting to go on).

Leo dove to the right, rolling next to the mortals, and holding his dagger out to the monster. He caught Percy's eye and gave him a look that said, 'Distract it while I get the mortals out of here.'

Percy sighed, like 'easier said than done' before rolling to avoid the Chimera's fire breath. He continued to run around the Arch like a little kid hopped up onto much sugar while the Chimera raged and tried to kill him in three ways, sometimes all at once.

In the future, Leo would've congratulated him on his idea or laughed at the mere mental image, but right now, he had some traumatized mortals to deal with.

He faced the four people and got ready to explain as hurriedly as he could what the hell was going on here.

"Boy, you better tell me what the hell that thing is," the security guard growled, but his eyes displayed fear.

Leo took a deep breath before launching into the dreaded explanation. "Alright, that is an experimental machine. The government has been working on robots like these to fight terrorists and possibly violent criminals, as well as to be used during war. But something went wrong and the machines went haywire. The government hired several 'monster hunters' as I call them to catch these creatures and get them under control. Those hunters had numerous children and the children are raised to fight the creatures because the creatures were programmed by the monster Hunters and trained to recognize them and only them. That way if a terrorist gets a hold of one, the terrorist cannot use it and the machine goes into lock down. Get it?"

The mortals slowly nodded, but Leo could tell their confusion was still there.

"How do we defeat it?" The mortal father demanded, dragging his wife and child closer to him.

"You can't," Leo answered, "but my friend and I can. All I need you to do is stay back and as soon as those elevators ding open, get the hell out here. Got it?"

Someone tugging on his shirt caused Leo to look down and he saw the boy looking up at him in curiosity.

The boy looked familiar, maybe around four with brown eyes and black hair hanging in his face while he tried to blow it away in irritation. His face was pale but his eyes shone with a bright innocence that Leo could only wish he still possessed.

"Are you gonna defeat the monster?" He wondered.

Leo smiled. "Yeah, kiddo. What's your name?"

"Harley," the boy said.

Leo froze. It couldn't be...

But it was. He could see his little brother in those big brown eyes that were innocent but too calculating for a child of four years old.

"Well, Harley, I'm Leo. And I'm gonna defeat that monster and make sure you're safe."

"You sound like a hero," the boy chirped.

Leo laughed. "I'm no hero. I just do what's necessary; maybe some day you'll understand what I mean, just hopefully not under the same circumstances." He chuckled, nervously, glancing at the Chimera. "But you gotta trust me. Stay with your mom and dad and do exactly what I said. Okay, Harley?"

"Okay, Leo," Harley agreed with an almost hilariously serious nod.

"Good."

"SHIT!" Percy's shout echoed in the Arch and Leo looked up to see that Percy had gotten hit by the Chimera's poison. He was now clutching his leg and trying to stem the flow of blood.

"Percy!" Leo shouted.

 _He was racing across the battlefield, but he knew he'd never get there in time. He quite literally tripped over Piper's dead body in his haste, but that only made him run faster. He would not lose another friend._

 _Percy and Annabeth were begging to live, and that hurt like hell. The demigods that had survived Tartarus were pleading for life, and Leo wondered how long it would take for that begging to live would turn to pleading for death._

 _That weird giant with the milky eyes raised his cleaver and brought it down on the demigods._

 _Leo could hear their dying screams from across the battlefield, and then, as one, their screams ceased and it was silent._

 _Dead silent._

Leo shook himself out of the flashback (or was it flashforwards?) and caught Percy's eye. He remembered the story future Percy had told him, and although he wasn't exactly comfortable knowing that Percy was falling at least six hundred feet, he knew there was no other choice.

"Percy, jump!" He screamed. "The Mississippi River is below us! It'll heal you!"

Leo figured he must sound crazy to the mortals and Harley, and what happened next probably scared them even more.

Percy had trusted him (which warmed Leo's heart, knowing that the son of Poseidon trusted him in this time line, unlike the previous one). He leaned back and went splashing into the water below.

"Damn it!" Echidna cursed. "You lost me my prey!"

Leo stared at her. "Prey? I don't think Percy would taste too good; I mean, he'd probably taste really salty, you know?"

Leo heard Harley giggle, and almost smiled at his little brother's laugh, but he kept his gaze focused on Echidna.

"Zeus has prevented me from killing you yet, but don't worry, child, you have made an enemy of all monsters. You will never be safe."

She vanished, along with the Chimera, but three Manicores had taken her place.

Leo had fought plenty of Manticores in his life times, but that did not make them any easier to defeat. He heard the elevators ding open and heard the footsteps of the others rushing for the doors. Honestly, he would've joined them, but he was afraid that the Manticores would follow him and terrorize the others. Therefore, he stayed where he was.

Slash! Dice! Slice! Cut! Leo's blade was a blur as he chopped at the three monsters, occasionally having to light himself on fire or slice a dagger out of the air.

But he was quickly tiring, his movements becoming sluggish and slow. A dagger skimmed his shoulder and pain began to pulse through his arm.

He was slapped in the face with a tail and sent soaring, nearly avoiding the gaping hole in the wall that the Chimera had made. Glass bit into his skin and he could feel blood welling up on his cheek.

"You will not win, little demigod!" One Manticore cackled.

Seriously? Monsters need to get some new lines. Leo thought about saying that, but as soon as he opened his mouth, smoke from the numerous patches of fire across the observation deck flowed into his mouth. He may be immune to fire, but smoke was another story. He began to hack and cough until he was sure his lungs would collapse.

Leo sat up and looked at the approaching Manticores through bleary eyes. He knew what could defeat them; he'd done it once in the future, but it had nearly killed him. It wasn't nearly as bad as when he fought all of the Giants at once though, so it was worth a shot.

He thought of his mother, of Nico, the seven, of Harley, of all the people that he had grieved and he also thought of Ms. Teresa, Blake Magista, Cruella Reveen, Gaea, and so many others that had angered him or taken something from him. And he exploded.

Black fire streamed off his body, flowing forwards until it stabbed through the hearts of the monsters, burning them from the inside out. They burst into dust.

Leo was exhausted, but he staggered to his feet and raced for the elevator, hopping in and making a break for it before any security guard could get a good look at him or grab him.

He continued running, scouting the crowd for Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, but didn't see them, so he did the logical thing. He kept running until he reached the train station and prayed that they were safe in the compartment.

And they were. Other than looking anxious, dejected, and tired, they were fine.

Leo smirked and slid open the door. "What's with all the long faces?"

"LEO!" They cheered, looking so relieved it kind of scared him.

They enveloped him in a group hug and Leo smiled. He hadn't gotten a hug since... Jason died? And then Piper screamed as she sobbed into his shirt. That wasn't a good memory.

As a child he may have shoved them away or made a joke, but he knew better now.

Moments like these were to be cherished.

* * *

 _There will be more on Harley later (like why he has two parents and why he was a year round camper). Also, there will be more on that emotional fire, as I call it, later; it will actually play a major part in the series later in._

 _Finally, that explanation of the monsters to the mortals is based off of NBrokenShacklesN's, but their's is a lot more complicated and thought out than mine. Mine was just something Leo thought of on the spot from watching too many spy movies._

 ** _Which giant captured Piper's dad in the Lost Hero? (Name, please, not who their the anti of)_**


	6. The Hero Turned Villain Turned Hero

_I'm back! Sorry, but I went to Washington D.C over the weekend and my teachers have been piling work on us for a while, so... then, there's exams next week. I'll try to update, but I apologize if they're slower than usual for a few weeks._

 _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE; AWFUL NIGHTMARE THAT INVOLVES CHARACTER DEATH_

 _I also did get the idea of Jason's death from NBrokenShacklesN, but there are some distinct differences, but I thank him/her for the inspiration._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nada._**

* * *

"What the hell happened to you?" Percy demanded. "After I fell, the mortals came down, but you didn't!"

"We thought you went to Hades the hard way," Grover added.

Leo sighed. "It looks like I just made a dangerous enemy," he said before launching into the story on what happened after Percy fell: Echidna recognizing him as her enemy; the Manicores appearing; Leo just barely being able to defeat them. The only thing he didn't tell them was about his fire, saying instead that he got lucky with the Manicores; he wasn't ready for them to know yet.

Annabeth was in awe. "You defeated three Manicores? But that's, like, impossible!"

Leo shrugged. "It actually wasn't that hard; the Manicores were not on top of their game today."

"Yeah, but-"

Before Annabeth could finish that sentence, Leo's adrenaline vanished and the exhaustion caught up with him quickly.

"Shoot, Leo, sit down. You look like you're about to pass out," Grover stated, concerned.

Leo obliged, literally collapsing into a train seat and trying to rid himself of the dizziness. "I guess I used too much energy fighting those things."

Annabeth nodded. "Fighting one Manicore would take almost every ounce of energy you had. Fighting three? I can only imagine."

Leo nodded. "Would you guys mind if I slept for a bit? I'll answer all your questions when I wake up."

The trio nodded, but Leo was already fast asleep.

Then, as if thinking with one mind, the Lightning Thief Trio said in unison, "There's something he's not telling us."

* * *

 _He was standing on a battlefield, the grass charred and blackened beneath his feet. The world was up in flames, fire spreading from building to building at an impossible speed._

 _But the worst of all was Jason._

 _Jason was lying on the ground at his feet, his blood splattered all over the ground and Leo's clothes. Jason's limbs were spread out at odd angles, and an arrow jutted out of his gut. His eyes were wide open and empty... dead._

 _"J-Jason," Leo stammered, falling to his knees beside his best friend._

 _He remembered Jason's death very clearly. Jason had been flying over the army with explosives that he lobbed down at the monsters. Leo had been at the ship with Piper and Annabeth; Annabeth had been keeping them aloft while he worked the cannons and Piper stood guard, cutting down any monster that got too close to the ship._

 _He'd been the only one to see it. Annabeth had been busy trying to operate the ship; Piper had been battling some kind of flying beast; and all the others had monsters of their own to worry about._

 _Some monster had shot an arrow at Jason, who hadn't seen it due to cutting down some kind of bat- thing that Leo didn't recognize. The arrow buried itself in Jason's ribcage._

 _"JASON!" Leo screamed as his best friend fell through the air. A CRACK! rang through the air as Jason hit the ground, and laughter spread among the monsters while Piper screamed in agony._

 _None of them saw the body. None of them wanted to, and now, here he was. It was worse than Leo imagined._

 _He cradled Jason's head in his lap. "It's not real, it's not real, it's not real," he whispered, hysterically._

 _"All your fault," a voice said. Piper was standing over him with her dead, glazed over eyes- the emptiness that came after her boyfriend's death._

 _"N-No, Piper, it's not."_

 _"Yes, it is. You should've been more careful, should've saved him," she muttered in a broken, hysterical voice._

 _"N-No. No, Piper, I'm sorry. I tried. I'm sorry," he sobbed. "Please, forgive me."_

 _"Only Fate can forgive you now, little one." The ground shook as the voice reverberated through it._

 _"Dirt Woman," Leo hissed. "Leave us alone, bitch!"_

 _"You shall burn in hell!"_

 _The ground split open, and skeletal hands of decayed bodies reached towards him. He recognized a few of the graying faces that glowered out at him. Annabeth... Percy... Frank... Hazel..._

 _"Your fault... your fault... BURN IN HELL, MURDERER!"_

 _"NO!"_

* * *

Leo jolted awake so fast that he didn't see Grover until his forehead clashed with the satyr's.

"Oh, gods!" Grover muttered, stumbling back. "Geesh, that hurt."

"Sorry, Grover. You alright?"

"Yeah. I don't think I have a concussion, so..."

"Oh, come on, my head is not that hard. Besides, it's hollow. There's nothing up there," Leo joked.

Grover rolled his eyes before he adapted his concerned look. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Oh, nothing. Just... a past monster attack gone wrong."

"Can a monster attack go right?" Grover snorted.

Leo smiled, sadly at him. "It can when everyone gets out alive."

A pregnant pause descended upon the compartment.

"Leo, I'm sorry," Annabeth said, making Leo jump, as he hadn't noticed her or Percy during the conversation.

"It's okay. It was a long time ago." Yeah, four bloody years in the future!

"Who were they... if you don't mind me asking?" Percy said.

"Just some friends. A daughter of Aphrodite and an undetermined child. Good fighters, but in the end, it wasn't enough."

Nobody said anything. Is there really anything they could say?

"Come on, we're rolling into Denver," Leo said, pointing out the window, before standing up to exit the compartment.

The trio exchanged glances, but they decided to wait until after the quest to ask questions. They couldn't afford distractions right now.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

The trio had told Leo all about the river spirit (although he already knew). It made him think of the time his dad sent an automation to speak with him when he, Piper, and Percy got separated on a mini quest that occurred after Jason's death but before Percy and Annabeth's. Now, that was an interesting event.

"We can't use phones, right?" The son of Poseidon asked.

"I'm not talking about phones."

The four of them walked downtown until they stumbled across a do it yourself car wash. While keeping their eyes open for patrol cars, Annabeth lead them into the stall farthest from the street.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," he grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out."

Leo reached into his pocket and handed Grover a quarter. Being on the run, Leo had learned how to save his money, and he had fifty dollars and dozens of coins he'd saved before running away from his past foster home. He would've gladly paid for food, but he was knocked out when Annabeth bought lunch.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked.

Grover fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?"

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to Percy. "Drachma, please."

The son of the sea handed her the golden coin, and she tossed it into the mist.

"Oh, goddess, accept our offering," Annabeth chanted. "Half Blood Hill."

For a moment, nothing happened, but then, he appeared.

Leo recognized him from a picture on Annabeth's cabin wall back on the Argo II. He was tall and muscular with tan skin and short blonde hair. He wore an orange camp shirt and shorts, and a sword was latched to his belt. If Leo didn't know any better, he's have mistaken him for Jason, but Jason's eyes were an electric blue while this guy's eyes were shards of sky. Jason also didn't have an ugly scar running down the side of his face.

Leo knew it without an ounce of doubt. He was staring at Luke Castellon, the hero turned villian turned back to hero.

Leo had only met Luke once (as weird as that sounded). He'd met his ghost when Nico had summoned a ghost army, and Luke, along with Leo's half brother Beckendorf, Jason, Connor Stoll (who died during battle), and numerous others, had volunteered to fight among them. The battle had been bloody, and that was all that Leo really remembered. He didn't want to remember the rest.

"Luke!" Percy called in surprise.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought-Chiron-I mean-"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Luke opened his mouth to explain, but then, he noticed Leo. "Who is-"

"Oh, where are our manners?" Annabeth said.

"Probably back at the St. Louis Arch," Leo interrupted. "I'm Leo, Leo Valdez, child of Hephaestus. We kind of ran into each other, and long story short, I became part of the quest. And you are?"

"Luke, Luke Castellon, child of Hermes, but- what's that noise?"

Sure enough, a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"I'll take care of it.'" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight.

"Grover, come on!

"What?" Grover said. "But-"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle at Delphi, then he handed Percy the spray gun and followed Annabeth.

Percy readjusted the hose so he could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to the two demigods over the music. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how-probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

In the next stall, Leo heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked the pair. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

Percy and Leo told him pretty much everything, including Percy's dreams and how Leo had joined the quest and defeated the Manicores. Leo wished that Percy had left some of those parts out because now, Luke was staring at him with that somewhat impressed, somewhat suspicious and somewhat mischievous look, like he was planning something. Damn it, Leo had wanted to stay out of Luke's bad books. He hadn't wanted to look like a threat.

 _"Hide your strengths until you need them," Annabeth had told him way back when he was building the Argo._

Leo was relieved when the beeper went off, signifying the goodbye about to be made.

"I wish I could be there," Luke told them. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled. "Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

The trio was silent, until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

In the stall next to them, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

Leo snickered. "Just like Piper."

Percy looked at him, weirdly, and Leo clamped his mouth shut. Please, don't ask.

In that moment, Leo was grateful for Luke because he interrupted what would've been a very awkward conversation.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh ... uh, yeah!" Percy lied. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Really?" He grinned. "They fit and everything?"

The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter. "And tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just-"

But the mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw Percy's face.

Annabeth's smile faded. "What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," Percy lied. "Come on, let's find some dinner."

* * *

 _What did you think? Over 2,530 words total! Wow, I think it was worth the wait, and just wait until they meet Ares.. *rubs hands together and snickers. Whispers, "and the real torture begins"*_

 _You weren't supposed to hear that. Whoops._

 _Bye!_


	7. We Meet Frank's Violent, Greek Dad

_Hello, all. Sorry for the delay; I hope the extra long chapter (over 4000 words) makes up for it! Also, I wrote most of this at five AM when I couldn't sleep, so I hope it's still good and I didn't just start rambling and never stopped._

 ** _ALSO, IMPORTANT: I AM GETTING READY TO POST A NEW STORY. I HAVE THE SUMMARIES FOR A FEW OF MY IDEAS ON MY PROFILE. PLEASE READ THEM AND EITHER VOTE ON THE POLL, OR REVIEW WHICH STORY YOU'D LIKE ME TO POST ON ANY OF MY STORIES._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

The four of them found a nearby diner to eat at, and they seated themselves in a corner booth with a window beside them.

The waitress walked over and raised her eyebrow, skeptically. "Well?"

"We, um, want to order dinner," Percy replied.

"You kids got money to pay for it?"

Leo reached for his pocket, but before he could withdraw the money, a motorcycle the size of a mini elephant pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather-but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruel and brutal face that made you think he'd pummel you any second- handsome, I guess, but wicked. He had an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.

Leo recognized him. Frank's dad- or the Greek version, anyway. Ares.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into the booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth and Leo against the window.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

Ares turned to Percy, and Percy's eyes went from confused the downright rageful.

He gave Percy a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

"What's it to you?" Percy demanded.

Leo shook his head and smiled, charmingly. "Ignore him. Well, Lord Ares, what brings you to our table on this fine evening?"

Ares smirked in a satisfied manner. "I like you, kid. Polite, yet daring. Knows his place."

Leo smirked. "Oh, believe me, I never know my place. I just know better than to talk back and risk getting vaporized."

Ares barked a laugh. "Good point."

"So you're Clarrise's dad?" Percy stated.

Ares removed his sunglasses, displaying the flames that were his eyes. "Yep. I heard you broke her spear."

"She was asking for it."

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for-I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food-cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," Percy told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?"

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

Anger flickered in Percy's eyes, ready to break free, like an ocean straining against a leaking dam. The minute it broke, all hell would break loose, and there was no turning back.

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

Leo was lucky Ares's glare wasn't directed at him. Just being around him made him see the war all over again- the bodies of people he'd known, traitors he'd been forced to kill, the blood soaking the grass and turning the battlefield into a slipping slide. Harley's unseeing eyes...

If that glare had been directed at him, the images would've been ten times more vivid. Leo wouldn't have been able to hold it together.

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war."

"Starting a war?" Leo hissed, suddenly so pissed off, he couldn't contain his rage, and it had nothing to do with Ares's powers. "Are you insane? War is awful; people get killed; gods can fade or be overthrown. Why would you want something like that to happen?"

Ares stared at him. "You've seen war, haven't you, kid?" He asked after several beats of silence.

Leo shrugged. "Gang wars mostly," he said, which wasn't exactly a lie.

Ares nodded, but honestly, if Leo didn't know any better, he'd say the god of war didn't know what to say to that.

"As I was saying," Ares continued, "oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," Percy grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own."

"Yeah, right. No money."

"We have money," Leo said. At the stunned looks from his friends, Leo shrugged. "Okay, I have money."

"No wheels," Ares said as though Leo hadn't spoken. "No clue what you're up against."

"Oh, trust me," Leo growled. "I know what we're up against. More than you do."

Ares turned to Leo, and for a moment, fear flickered in the god of war's eyes. Then, it was gone, but one look at Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, and Leo knew he hadn't imagined it.

"Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom," Ares addressed Percy.

"My mom?"

"It's a trap," Leo told the son of Poseidon. "He just wants to tell you she's not dead; he won't tell you anything else."

Ares's eyes actually widened. "How did you know?"

Leo shrugged. "I know things. But tell you what, we'll do the mini quest, provided you give us the Helm in exchange for your shield."

His companions stared at Leo in confusion, but Ares nearly fell out of his seat in shock.

"You're a child of Hephaestus, not Apollo. How do you know these things?" Ares demanded.

Leo shrugged again, if only to irritate him. "Dreams. Now, that's my deal."

Ares frowned. "Fine."

"Swear it on the River Styx. I may not be a child of Athena, but I'm not stupid."

Ares contemplated that before he perked up, as though listening to something.

Pry Kronos, Leo thought.

"Alright."

Leo was honestly a little surprised; he hadn't expected Kronos to give over the Helm that easily. Something else was going on here

"I swear on the River Styx to give Lord Hades's Helm to you and allow you to take it to the Underworld, provided you complete the task of getting me my shield," Ares said.

Leo went over the wording for any loopholes and didn't find any, so he nodded. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Ares left the four of them alone, and Annabeth spun around to face Leo.

"How did you know all that stuff?" She wanted to know.

"Like I said, I dream a lot. I'll explain more on the way, but right now, we need to hurry. We don't have much time before the solstice," Leo pointed out before dragging them out the door.

* * *

On the way to the park, Leo explained his 'dream' (it was really just a retelling of Percy's story from the Argo II). How someone had stolen the Helm and the Bolt and gave at least one of them to Ares to finish the job. Ares had sworn to give the Helm in exchange for his shield, but Leo mentioned his suspicions that whoever was behind the Object of Powers' disappearances was planning something bigger if he was just willing to hand it over like that.

"So you don't think Hades has anything to do with it?" Grover asked.

Leo shook his head. "Why would he hand over his Helm? Even if he wanted to start a war, I wouldn't do that. Would you?"

The three shook their heads.

"Exactly."

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time they found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," Percy said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

Leo chuckled. "Uh, Percy? His girlfriend is the goddess of beauty."

Percy blinked. "Really?"

Leo nodded. "Yep."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Isn't she married to Hephaestus?" Percy asked.

Leo nodded. "They're married, but she cheats on him with Ares. He knows it's going on, and he tried to stop it back in the ancient days, but I guess he just gave up at some point. He still tries to embarrass them, but never really stops the affair"

"Oh." Percy said, looking like he didn't really understand before accepting that he wouldn't understand most things about Mythology. He changed the subject. "So how do we get in?"

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings.

Leo was almost surprised before he remembered that Luke had given the shoes to Grover, and being the son of Hermes... well, the shoes were kind of fitting.

He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

Annabeth and Percy had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as they crawled over the top.

Leo got creative; he ripped the bottom apart with his hands and slipped into the hole; Percy and Annabeth hadn't even gotten over the barbed wire.

"Dude!" Percy complained.

Leo shrugged. "What can I say, Percy? I'm a runaway; I'm always looking for quick getaways."

The shadows grew long as the four of them walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

No monsters came to get them. Nothing made the slightest noise.

They found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards, and racks of-

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," Percy said. "But you can't just-"

"Watch me."

She snatched an entire row of stuff off the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged. Soon, all four of them were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.

They continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. Leo got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath, waiting to let it all out at once and blow them over.

"So Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told him. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband? I mean, you'd think the goddess of love wouldn't approve of cheating."

"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The black-smith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus. So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"'

Leo growled.

"Did you just growl?" Grover questioned.

"Yes. My dad may not be good looking, but he's a good guy."

"You've met him?" Annabeth asked.

"Once, and I wouldn't really call it meeting him. He came to me in a dream to warn me about monsters heading my way and to start running now. He did give me some advice though and he saved me from getting killed, so I'm not complaining."

"What kind of advice did he give you?" Percy asked.

"Everything can be reused. I used a bunch of old and broken machines I'd made, put them together, and took out the monsters."

"Wow. I didn't know Hephaestus cared so much," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, he cares; he's just not good with... organic life forms, in his words. He's a machine guy, not a people person."

"Woah," Percy mumbled. "You're lucky."

Leo smiled. "Both of us are lucky in some ways. Your dad really cares about you; he's sticking his neck out for you. He could've easily let Zeus kill you and avoid the entire war, but he didn't. Let's go prove to our parents and every enemy out there that we're more than just pawns on a chess board."

"Chess board?" Annabeth asked. "You play chess?"

"Yeah. Wasn't much to do in the orphanages, so we spent our time watching Batman, throwing things at each other, and playing cheap card and board games."

The three laughed, and the four of them continued on their way.

Leo didn't see the ride until he almost fell into it.

In front of them was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl. Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire. On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

Leo shook his head. "It's never that easy."

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."

"Grover," Percy said, scanning their surroundings, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

"Nothing-like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?"

Leo slapped Percy on the arm. "Come on, dude. Powers work sometimes and sometimes they don't. I mean, imagining trying to use your powers when you're not near water. That's what being underground is like for Grover."

Grover nodded, looking appreciative. "That was underground. I don't smell any monsters, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be something else."

Percy took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic.

"No," Percy told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."

Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me-"

"Are you kidding?" She looked at Percy as if he'd just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.

"What's the problem now?" Percy demanded.

"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

"Who's gonna see you?" Leo asked. "It's just us, and I promise we won't tease you. I'll stay up here, in case monsters or crazy mortals or whatever show up."

"Alright," Annabeth relented.

Percy and Annabeth reached the boat, but Leo was focusing on trying to remember this story from the Argo II. He remembered laughing about the twelve year old version of Percy and Annabeth going on a love ride together, but beyond that, he was drawing a blank.

He did remember his dad's name coming up, though...

"Aw, fuck," Leo muttered, staring at the Cupid statues. "GUYS! IT'S A TRAP!"

He was a second too late because no sooner had the words left his mouth (unknowingly at the same time as they left Annabeth's) did noise erupt as hundreds of gears turned at once.

Leo slid down and used his legs to spring himself into the boat.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. They started shooting, but not at the demigods. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" Annabeth said.

"There's no use," Leo told them. "This is one of my dad's inventions, made to capture Aphrodite and Ares. He'll have tons of obstacles to prevent us from climbing out; there's really only one way out."

And with that, Leo grabbed the wheel.

"Grover!" Leo shouted to the satyr, who was struggling to hold the net open. "Meet us at the exit!"

 _"Nico, meet us at the Doors of Death! Promise me!"_

Leo shook the flashback away. Not the time, brain.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed:

"Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid. Eta is H. He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

Leo shrugged. "Maybe not. Percy, use the water pipes!"

"What are we gonna do?" Annabeth demanded.

"We're getting out of here," Leo stated, gripping the wheel with both hands.

Percy concentrated really hard and BAM! Several streams of water burst out a once, lifting the boat and carrying it down the tunnel.

"Holy shit!" Grover shouted from where he was flying above. None of them had been expecting the sheer force of the water that burst out.

Percy yanked Annabeth into the seat beside him, and Leo struggled to remain upright. Luckily, after those monster filled weeks on the Argo II, Leo had gotten used to rough waters.

"Zero," the little automated voice that had been counting down announced.

Leo used the wheel to keep them straight and not crashing into walls; he thanked the gods for his boating experience because if he didn't have it, him and his two friends would probably be splats on the wall by now.

They rocketed past a bunch of lovey dove stuff, like Romeo and Juliet, and Leo tried hard to concentrate on steering, but Percy and Annabeth's screaming wasn't helping him at all.

And then, they were out in the sunlight, and Leo breathed a sigh of relief until he realized that they weren't out of the woods yet.

If the ride had been in working order, they would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained. Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before us were now piled against the barricade-one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Aw, fuck," Leo muttered. "Guys, get up!"

Percy and Annabeth leapt out of their seats and stared at their upcoming doom.

"Shit!" Percy cursed.

Leo grabbed a few spare parts from his pocket, and his hands flew so fast, you wouldn't have been able to tell what he was doing. But Leo didn't need to be able to see what he was doing; when you're a child of Hephaestus, building is as easy as breathing. It's instinct.

The Latino pressed the button, and a rope he'd stolen from the back of the boat shot out, the fishing hook (also found under a seat on the boat) hooked onto the gate.

Leo yanked as hard as he could; the fishing hook didn't budge.

"Alright, guys," he said. "Hang onto each other and grab the rope."

Percy grabbed Annabeth around the waist, and the pair latched onto the rope.

"Hang on!" Leo shouted. "Hold your feet out- almost like you're zip lining- so they'll take most of the force."

"What about you?" Percy called over the rushing water.

"I know what I'm doing! Now!"

Leo hit the button, and Percy and Annabeth were flying towards the gate; they hit it feet first and clambered over the gate.

"3...2...1," Leo whispered before grabbing Ares's shield and launching himself off of the boat seconds before it crashed. He rocketed over the gate and hit the ground, throwing the shield aside (to avoid rolling on top of it) and doing a somersault to spend any extra momentum.

Percy and Annabeth climbed down from the fence and raced over to Leo, followed by Grover.

"Woah," Percy mumbled.

"Woah, indeed, my friend," Leo told him. "Now..."

He turned to the Cupid cameras.

"There will _not_ be plenty more where that came from, folks! Now, if you don't mind, we have a life threatening quest to finish! To all, a goodnight!"

Leo lead the way out of the amusement park, Ares's shield in hand.

* * *

He blinked.

And blinked again.

And blinked again.

And-

"Shocked, nephew?" Hestia asked from behind him.

Hephaestus nodded, numbly. "Maybe a little."

"Did you not think he was capable?"

"Oh, I knew he was capable of great things, but I didn't know he was capable of that. At least now. I mean, when he's older sure, but he's a twelve year old kid with no training. How did he-"

"I may not have children, but I do know that children often surprise their parents. Especially godly parents."

"I suppose you're right."

But still, Hephaestus couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about his son. Something that had appeared rather suddenly a few days ago.

But for the life of him, Hephaestus couldn't figure out what had changed.

* * *

 _What'd you think of the chapter? And I know Leo acted a little suspicious around Ares, but his plan will be very beneficial in the future. It will also caused some problems. What is Kronos planning?_

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What is Aphrodite's symbol? (Ex: owl for Athena)_**


	8. What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas

_An Extra long chapter has arrived!_

 _I want to thank everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed for this story. You have no idea how much those mean to me and how much they make my day. Thank you!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

When the four demigods returned to the diner with Ares's shield in hand, the god himself awaited them just around the corner from the entrance. Surrounding buildings shrouded this area in shadows, making the five blend in with the approaching night; it was the kind of place crimes were committed.

Somehow, that didn't make Leo feel any better.

"Well, well," he drawled. "You didn't get yourselves killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Percy growled.

Ares gave them a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled black-smith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids, one of which was his very own son, the one that's _supposed to be_ in a foster home. I suppose I can't blame you from running from it; some of the things that family did to you turns _my_ stomach," Ares confessed before plastering his smirk back in place, returning to the topic at hand. "You looked good on TV."

Percy shoved the shield, which Leo had given him to carry while he nursed a pretty bad cut on his arm, at him.

"You're a jerk," the son of Poseidon stated, simply.

Annabeth and Grover caught their breath.

Leo just rolled his eyes; Percy had gotten into worse situations, and if his future self was any indication, he'd obviously escaped this quest alive. Fate wouldn't allow the savior of Olympus to die before he actually saved Olympus.

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air like pizza dough. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest. He slung it across his back.

"See that truck over there?" He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner.

"That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which Leo (he did have dyslexia; it just wasn't half as bad as Percy's) could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTER-NATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched. "Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job."

He slung a blue nylon backpack off his handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

Inside were fresh clothes for all of them, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Oreos.

"Our deal?" Leo reminded him.

Ares nodded. "Yes."

The god removed a helmet from the handlebars and handed it to Leo, who placed it in his own backpack.

"You're an impressive kid," Ares admitted, facing Leo. "But being impressive can lead you to good things as well as bad things. I advice you to watch your back, son of Hephaestus. A powerful being has taken interest in you, and whether you're his enemy or his ally will determine how long your life will be."

Ares promptly disappeared, leaving the four of them with a long journey ahead of them and leaving Leo with a lot to think about.

"We should hurry," Leo stated before anyone could say a word about Ares's warning. "Time to hitch a ride."

The four demigods ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind them.

The first thing that hit Leo was the smell. One of his previous foster parents owned a lot of pets, including three dogs, five cats, two hamsters, seven fish, a rabbit, and a ferret. The smell reminded him of that house, especially since one of his chores was to clean up after all the animals.

He tried to forget that the kids did all the work and the adults did _nada_. The police called it a case of modern day slavery.

Two kids had died there. Leo had almost been the third.

Bad thoughts, Leo, he chastised himself. Bad thoughts.

The trailer was dark inside until Percy uncapped Riptide. The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals a person could've ever seen: a zebra, a male albino lion, and an antelope.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled. "Humane zoo transport?"

He probably would've gone right back outside to beat up the truckers with his reed pipes, and the others would've helped him, but just then the truck's engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and they were forced to sit down or fall down.

They huddled in the corner on some mildewed feed sacks, trying to ignore the smell and the heat and the flies. Grover talked to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just stared at him sadly. Annabeth was in favor of breaking the cages and freeing them on the spot, but Leo pointed out it wouldn't do much good until the truck stopped moving.

Percy found a water jug and refilled their bowls, then used his sword to drag the mismatched food out of their cages. He gave the meat to the lion and the turnips to the zebra and the antelope.

Grover calmed the antelope down, while Annabeth used her knife to cut the balloon off his horn. She wanted to cut the gum out of the zebra's mane, too, but they decided that would be too risky with the truck bumping around. They told Grover to promise the animals they'd help them more in the morning, then they settled in for night.

Grover curled up on a turnip sack; Annabeth opened the bag of Double Stuff Oreos and nibbled on one half-heartedly. Percy sat next to her, fiddling with the pen that was Riptide. Leo just sat in the corner, toying with some objects he pulled out of his pockets- wires and the like- and he tried to forget about Ares's warning and the comment about his last foster home (or fourth foster home; time travel made everything complicated).

Of course, the universe didn't let him forget.

"Hey, Leo?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah?"

"What did Lord Ares mean about your last foster home?"

Leo shrugged, opting to keep it short. "The foster dad was an abusive jerk. Foster mom tolerated me, but she walked out about a month after I arrived. That's when things got really bad, and I had to leave."

"Have you run away before?" Grover questioned.

Leo nodded. "This was my fourth foster home. I ran away three times from the first and got caught twice. Ran away twice from the second, and I got caught the first time. I attempted to run away twice from the third and succeeded on the third try. One of our neighbors helped me escape from this one, so it was easier than in the past to just slip out the door."

"Wow," Annabeth muttered. "I ran away from my dad when I was seven."

"I wanted to run away from my step dad, but I stayed for my mom," Percy added.

"My parents died a few years ago," Grover chipped in.

"Our lives suck" Percy stated.

Leo laughed. "It could be worse. We could've come back from the dead or been stuck in time for fifty years or been raised by wolves. Or worse... we could be lactose intolerant."

The demigods chuckled.

"Where do you come up with that stuff?" Annabeth snorted.

"Friends."

"One of your friends has come back from the dead?" Grover demanded.

"The doctors shocked her back to life," Leo lied.

"Stuck in time?"

"I'd rather not discuss that story. I may scar you for life."

"Raised by wolves?"

"I met some of them, too. It was a frightening meeting."

"You have some weird friends," Percy told him.

Leo nodded. "I really do."

Or at least... I did.

Leo hastily pushed that thought away. The friends he knew may be dead, but he'd meet them in a few short years.

That was a weird thought, and to anyone else, that would've made no sense whatsoever.

Annabeth pulled apart an Oreo and handed half to Percy. "In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?"

Leo and Percy were quiet, trying to think of a way to word this. Leo was worried that he'd give away too much information if he wasn't careful, and Percy was obsessing over Luke's weird mention of the pine tree.

"Luke said you and he go way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time. Nobody would turn into a pine tree."

In the dim bronze light of the sword blade, it was hard to read their expressions.

Grover let out a mournful bray.

"I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"You were the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus," Percy realized.

He nodded glumly.

"And the other two half-bloods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp ..." Percy looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"

She put down her Oreo, uneaten. "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us."

Leo tried not to be jealous of how he'd been running since he was eight- running from monsters, mortals, enemy demigods, enemies in general- and his dad never sent him any help. He was on his own.

Well, there was Julia...

No, don't think about her. Just don't.

And Madison...

Don't think about her either.

Alexis and Brandon...

You know what. Just stop thinking all together and listen to the weird Thalia-turning-into-a-pine-tree story you've heard a hundred times and still don't entirely understand. If only you could get past the transforming into a tree part, maybe you would get the rest of the story.

"I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp," the satyr said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought ... I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker ..."

"Stop it," Annabeth said. "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," he said miserably, "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

Leo rolled his eyes. "And you're blaming yourself for this? Think about it, we're on a quest to prevent World War 3, and we all know Annabeth is the brains of this operation. What would've happened if you'd left her? We probably wouldn't be on this quest. What if you'd gotten Thalia to safety? How do you know something similar wouldn't have happened? You don't. That's how Fate works. Fate works in mysterious ways, and it has a certain design. If something messes up that design, they're going to find a way to fix it. Because Fate is fate, and changing it can result in very bad things."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Annabeth asked.

Leo didn't meet their eyes. "Trust me, I've had more than a few meetings with fate, not to mention gods that understand it more than I do."

"But Leo's right," Percy said "you got in trouble because you wouldn't leave two other half-bloods behind? That's not fair."

"Percy and Leo are right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the two most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia and Percy."

"You're not lame," Leo interrupted. "I mean, compare yourself to Nancy Throw-A-Fit. Does that make you feel any better?"

Grover laughed. "I guess it does."

"Who's Nancy Throw-A-Fit?" Annabeth asked in amusement.

Leo launched into the story of Nancy Bobofit and all the pranks they'd pulled on her, and by the end, they were trying to keep their laughs as quiet as possible and even the animals seemed to be listening attentively.

And for the time being, they were able to forget about the quest and the danger and Ares's warning and the very angsty conversation they'd just had.

Gods knew they needed to forget, if only for a little while.

* * *

Leo was a bit surprised by the dream, but he was not at all ungrateful for the change of scenery.

Usually, he found himself kneeling over the bodies of one of his dead friends or siblings or even his mother at times. But today, he found himself standing on the edge of Tartarus, staring down into inky blackness.

"He is a threat, My Lord," a voice was saying, and Leo recognized it as Luke's.

"I realize this. How are we going to capture him?"

"I have the necklace ready. All we need is the perfect opportunity to ambush him," Luke responded. "What is your plan, My Lord?"

"Allow the fire user to take the Helm to the Underworld and allow the son of Poseidon to return the bolt to my wretched son. We shall begin another plan."

"And what is that?"

"You will kill Percy Jackson, and you will bring Leo Valdez to me after they return from their quest."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Oh, and Leo Valdez?"

The voice spoke directly to him.

"Watch your back, hero. You can be useful to me if we should be allies, but if we are enemies, you won't see your thirteenth birthday."

* * *

Leo woke to someone shaking him.

"Come on, the truck has stopped," Annabeth was saying. "Did you and Percy both have a nightmare?"

"What can I say? Demigods have nightmares all the time, but hey, they keep us alive most of the time," Leo shrugged. "What now?"

Suddenly, footsteps sounded too close to the truck, and Annabeth hissed one word:

"Hide!"

She had it easy. She put on her invisibility cap and vanished while her three companions dove behind food sacks and hoped they looked like turnips and not three stow aways.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances."

He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

Leo noticed the water in the dishes slosh of their own accord; Grover growled, quietly; Percy jumped and leaned away from Leo as the fire user's body temperature spiked.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

There was a loud knock, knock, knock on the side of the trailer.

The trucker inside with us yelled, "What do you want, Eddie?"

A voice outside-it must've been Eddie's-shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?"

Knock, knock, knock.

Outside, Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

The guy Maurice rolled his eyes and went back outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot.

"Annabeth," Leo snickered.

"How do you know it's Annabeth?" Grover asked.

"What other person could knock on the side of a trailer without being seen?"

"Good point."

A second later, Annabeth appeared next to Percy. She said, "This transport business can't be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He paused, as if listening. "The lion says these guys are animal smugglers!"

"We've got to free them!" Grover said. He and Annabeth both looked at Percy, waiting for him to take the lead.

Leo just stared at the locks on the cages. He wondered...

Outside, Eddie and Maurice were still yelling at each other, but the four of them knew they'd be coming inside to torment the animals again any minute.

Leo stood and walked calmly over to the cage, heating up his hand until it melted the lock on the zebra's cage.

Annabeth's jaw dropped.

"You're a fire user?" Grover gaped.

"Don't tell," Leo said. "Save your strengths until you need them."

The zebra burst out. It turned to Leo and bowed, as though saying _thank you, sir._

Grover held up his hands and said something to the zebra in goat talk, like a blessing.

Just as Maurice was poking his head back inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him and into the street. There was yelling and screaming and cars honking. They rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a wide boulevard lined with hotels and casinos and neon signs.

They'd just released a zebra in Las Vegas.

Maurice and Eddie ran after it, with a few policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"We need to do this at camp sometime," Leo laughed. "It'd be the perfect prank."

"We're not using animals to do your bidding!" Grover admonished.

"I didn't say it had to be a real zebra. I could make a automation," Leo told them. "Now, come on. The other animals."

Percy sliced through the lock on the cage of the antelope with Riptide, and Leo melted the lock on the lion's.

Grover did his blessing thing again, and the lion turned to Leo, saying something he didn't understand before bounding off.

"What'd he say?" Leo asked.

"He said good luck, lion. You're gonna need it," Grover said in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"Well, Leo is the lion constellation, but I don't know what the rest means," Leo told him.

Annabeth shrugged. "It sounds like a warning."

"I've gotten more than enough warnings in the past week," Leo muttered.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all-"

"Don't worry," he said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!" The sea prince protested.

"Kidding," she said. "Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

They stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and they must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay the four demigods much attention.

They passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. They passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty.

None of them knew what they were looking for, but they were hoping for a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find something to eat and drink, and make a new plan for getting west.

They must have taken a wrong turn, because they found themselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers-lotus blossom.

Leo was reminded of Nico and Bianca being trapped in there for seventy years, and he swallowed. They were still there.

He tried not to think of Nico. Out of all the deaths he'd seen, Nico's had been the hardest to deal with, right along with Harley's. Nico and him were friends before he died, and they understood each other.

He died alongside Will Solace, who may have been his chance at a happy ending in another life. They'd kissed right before the pair went to meet Nico's father.

The doorman smiled at them. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

Percy nodded and said they'd love to come in. Inside, the four of them took one look around, and Grover said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it. There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

But Leo wasn't focused on that. He was focused on two of the youngest kids in the game room. One was playing a card game at a table with a girl sitting across from him.

The girl met his eyes, and Leo's head snapped away.

Nice going, Leo. People love it when you stare at them.

But he couldn't help it because this was Nico. And the girl must be his sister, Bianca.

"Hey!" a bellhop interrupted Leo's thoughts. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

Percy stammered, "Um, but..."

"No, no," he said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or what-ever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed each of them a green plastic credit card.

Percy said, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed. "Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

They took the elevator upstairs and checked out the room. It was a suite with four separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Sweet," Grover said. "Absolutely sweet."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit Leo, who knew why, although the others looked skeptical.

Percy threw Ares's backpack in the trash can. Leo grabbed it and hid it under his bed, knowing the Master Bolt would eventually appear inside.

Leo took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of grimy travel. He changed clothes, ate a sandwich, and drank three Cokes and two water bottles.

Now, it was time for business.

Leo came out of the bedroom and found that his companions had also showered and changed clothes. Grover was eating potato chips to his heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the National Geographic Channel.

"All those stations," Percy told her, "and you turn on National Geographic. Are you insane?"

"It's interesting."

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

Leo chuckled. "It is nice..."

 _When it's not trapping you for decades, obviously._

Without Grover even realizing it, the wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Grover and Percy looked at each other and grinned. They both held up their green plastic LotusCash cards.

"Play time," Percy said.

The three headed out the door before Percy looked back at Leo.

"You coming?"

"I'll be down in a second," Leo called over his shoulder, and Percy shrugged as he shut the door.

Then, Leo set to work.

After running away so many times, Leo knew how to pack to survive. He stuffed bags of chips, pouches of small cookies, and candy bars into his own backpack, followed by water bottles. Leo packed three spare changes of clothes for each of them, and when he picked it up, it was still light.

Packing was a second nature to him. He knew how to pack a lot of items in a small bag and still make it light. He'd never seen so grateful for his packing skills as he was right now.

Leo slung the bag over his shoulder and checked his watch. They'd been here for six hours.

Before he could formulate a plan, he had some people to get acquainted with.

* * *

Leo showed up at the right time.

He found Nico scrambling to pick up his cards from the floor as a snarling man loomed over him.

"Watch where you're going, kid," he growled, kicking Nico in the ribs.

Leo stormed over, shoving the man away from the son of Hades.

"Hey! How would I like it if I kicked you?" Leo stabbed a finger into the man's shoulder. "Back off, dude."

"You back off," the man barked, shoving Leo back. "The little brat ran into me anyway."

Leo grabbed the man's forearm and shoved him so hard, he fell to the ground. The man gazed at his arm, where a burn in the shape of a handprint glared up at Leo; he scrambled to his feet and sprinted away.

Leo sighed. He didn't like using his powers like that, but no one messed with his friends and got away with it. That guy was just lucky he hadn't messed with Harley...

He would've woken up in the Underworld.

"You okay, kid?" Leo asked, reaching out a hand to help Nico stand.

Nico nodded as he accepted. "Thanks. How did you do that with the burn?"

Leo shrugged. "It's hereditary. Dear old dad passed it down to me. What's your name, kid?"

"Nico. Nico Di Angelo."

"I'm Leo, Leo Valdez."

"Nico!" Bianca's voice suddenly called and she ran over. "I thought I told you to wait by the bathroom for me."

Nico shrugged, blushing. "Sorry?"

"Did anything happen?" She asked.

Nico nodded. "Old Mr. Cranky got mad because I ran into him, but Leo helped me."

Bianca smiled at Leo. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Leo stated, glancing at his watch. Almost an entire day had gone by.

Man, time really did fly in here.

"Leo! Do you know how to play Mythomagic?" Nico asked.

"Nope. Wanna show me?"

"Sure!"

Bianca smiled, probably grateful that Nico had a friend other than her.

* * *

Leo waited for three days to pass before he put his plan into action.

"Bianca, Nico," he said when he arrived at breakfast on the fourth morning. "I'm afraid I have to leave."

Bianca's eyes widened. "Why?"

"My friends and I have traveled many miles to see one of our relatives. We believe he may have some information on a very important family heirloom that was stolen. It's very dangerous, and it's vital that we find it soon."

"But, Leo, I don't want you to go," Nico whimpered, his eyes watering.

Leo smiled. "Well, guess what? We're going to be together again someday. I don't know how and I don't know when, but someday, we will meet again."

He faced Bianca. "I've made a device that will enable me to find you. You can only use it three times, so only use it in extreme emergencies. All you have to do is press the button."

He handed her a simple remote smaller than her plam with a red button in the center.

"Over the years, if you really need help, press the button, and I'll be there."

Nico threw his arms around Leo's neck, burying his face in Leo's shoulder.

"I'll miss you, Leo."

"I'll miss you, too, little buddy. Stay safe."

* * *

After Leo finished saying goodbye to the Di Angelos, he rushed to his room, grabbed both of the backpacks- Ares's and his own- before dashing through the game room in search of his friends.

He found Percy easily enough. He was playing sharpshooters with a hippy guy that was undoubtedly from the seventies.

"Percy!" He called, yanking on the boy's shirt sleeve. "We have to go."

"Why?" Percy demanded, not looking away from the game.

"Percy, this place traps people. There are people here from the 1800s."

"No way," he grunted, still not looking away.

"You don't believe me? I'll prove it."

Leo grabbed Percy's shoulder and spun him around to face the hippy guy.

"What year is it?" Leo asked the older man.

"1971," the man stated, simply, not so much as glancing at who was asking.

"And how long have you been here?"

"Umm... 4 hours. Maybe? I don't know. Now, can I get back to my game?"

Leo nodded before turning to face a confused Percy.

"See? I just met two kids from the 1940s who think they've been here for two weeks. This place traps people, and we're going to become four of them if we don't find Annabeth and Grover and get out of here."

Percy nodded. "Alright. Where are they?"

"I saw Annabeth at an architecture game just a little bit away, and I heard Grover yelling somwhere. Come on. We have to hurry. "

Percy nodded, slowly, still coming down from the high the casino gives you.

Leo dragged him through rows of games, bringing him to where Annabeth was playing a game about architecture (no surprise there).

The son of Hephaestus had heard the story, and he knew how to break her out of the trance without beating around the bush.

"Spiders, Annabeth. Big, hairy spiders," Leo stated, skittling his fingers on her shoulder like a spider's legs for good measure.

Annabeth smacked her shoulder and spun around, practically leaping into Percy's arms.

"What? Where?"

"Sorry, there are no spiders. I had to get your attention."

Leo and Percy explained about the kids of from the 40s and the guy from the 70s and the weird woman from the 1800s Leo had met. Annabeth's eyes grew wide.

"So you mean... we could've been here for decades and wouldn't even know it," Annabeth said. "How do we know what the date is?"

"We don't. We have to find Grover and leave," Percy replied.

They found Grover screaming at a hunting game where the animal hunts the human. Leo didn't even bother. He grabbed Grover's collar and yanked him kicking and wailing towards the door while Percy and Annabeth watched in amusement.

"Come on, Grover! We have a quest to finish!" Leo told him as he dragged him out of the doors, ignoring the employees telling him to stay and offering this and that.

Percy and Annabeth followed him, laughing, and Leo was relieved when Grover saw the sun and blinked, coming out of the trance.

"What the-"

Percy raced over to the newspaper stand, where he read the date on the newspaper.

"We were in there for three days," he told them.

"Not as bad as it could've been," Leo summed up, "but we still need to hurry."

Leo stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled; a taxi pulled up to the curb, and the four hopped in.

The son of Hephaestus tossed the blue backpack into Percy's lap, who stared at it, puzzled, but before Percy could ask, Leo handed his Lotus card to the driver.

"Do you take casino cards?"

"Some of them," the driver responded as he put it in the slot.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

"Where to?" The man blinked, the cigar tumbling from his mouth.

"Los Angeles, please. Santa Monica Pier," Leo told him as if he hadn't just about stopped the man's heart. "As fast as you can."

The car jolted forward and raced through the streets.

"At least it's not the Grey sisters cab," Leo laughed. "That's quite the ride."

His companions just stared at him in bewilderment before finally accepting that they would never truly understand Leo Valdez.

Honestly, no one would.

* * *

 _What did you think? I know the casino scene was shorter than you probably would've liked, especially when I brought the Di Angelos in, but I didn't want to focus too much on the Lotus Hotel and Casino when they have to be in the Underworld._

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _How did Luke try to kill Percy at the end of The Lightning Thief?_**


	9. Percy Needs To Learn To Work Faster

_Uuh... long time, no see. I'm sorry. So very sorry. Please accept Leo's humor, sarcasm, and fan boyish ways as an apology to make up for it._

 _Thanks you for all the reviews. Sorry I took so long._

 _I give credit to Rick Riordan for some of the wording in this chapter (aka some dialogue and descriptions)_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

On the road, the four of them had plenty of time to talk. Percy told Annabeth, Leo and Grover about his latest dream, and Leo whistled.

"That's a doozy," he muttered.

"Tell me about it," Percy agreed. "The person called the voice in the pit something other than my lord. A special title, but I can't remember it."

"The Silent One?" Annabeth suggested. "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

"Maybe ..." Percy said, although he didn't sound convinced.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."

Percy shook his head. "Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream. And that voice from the pit ... I don't know. It just didn't feel like a god's voice."

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Oh ... nothing. I was just-No, it has to be Hades. Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong-"

"Like what?"

"I-I don't know," she said. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power from Olympus, and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt, or he lost it somehow. Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus. Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt."

Percy wondered what was wrong with her. She looked pale.

"She thinks it might be something worse than Hades," Leo whispered to Percy, as though reading his mind.

"Like who?" Percy muttered back.

"I'll tell you later. They're freaked out enough; we can't afford to distract ourselves," Leo hissed. "Besides, the last thing we need is to send Annabeth into a panic attack."

Percy wondered what that meant, but he didn't push it. Yet.

"But if I'd already retrieved the bolt," Percy said, "why would I be traveling to the Underworld?"

"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back."

Leo whistled. "You have evil thoughts for a goat."

Maybe I should introduce him to Coach Hedge, Leo thought.

"Why, thank you."

"But the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy said. "If the master bolt is one, what's the other?"

"The helm," Leo replied. "This thing wants as many objects of power as possible. I mean, if you were plotting to start World War III or take over the world or whatever, wouldn't you want to have the upper hand? He wants the Master bolt and Hades's helm. I'm surprised he didn't go after your father's trident, too."

"So what's our game plan?" Percy asked.

"We trade the helm for your mother," Leo answered. "And then, we get information. Why would Hades's have his own helm stolen?"

No one had an answer.

"Exactly. He wouldn't. What if this isn't Hades's?"

"Who else would it be?" Percy asked.

Leo pursed his lips, exchanging a look with Annabeth.

"One thing at a time," he settled on.

Wasteland rolled by. They passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

"Either way, the answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth assured them. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost the atmosphere by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead, but that only made Leo feel worse. After all, it was the land of the dead. Leo had only been there once, and it was not fun (long story). It wasn't as bad as the House of Hades, though.

The cab sped west. Every gust of wind through Death Valley sounded like a spirit of the dead. Every time, the brakes hissed on an eighteen-wheeler, it reminded Leo of Echidna's reptilian voice.

At sunset, the taxi dropped the demigods at the beach in Santa Monica. Honestly, Leo thought San Francisco looked nicer, but this place looked nice, too, although it didn't smell too great. There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

Grover, Annabeth, Percy and Leo walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

Percy stepped into the surf.

Leo raised an eyebrow. He didn't remember this story, but he did remember something about pearls.

"Percy?" Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

Percy kept walking, up to his waist, then his chest.

She called after Percy, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic-"

That's when his head went under.

Annabeth began to head for the water, Grover following, but Leo put out an arm to stop them.

"Let him go," he said. "Percy knows what he's doing."

"For once," Annabeth grumbled, but she stepped back.

Several minutes passed before Percy appeared out of the sea, his clothes dry and something clenched in his hand.

As soon as he climbed onto the sand, he told them the story of what occurred beneath the waves and showed them the pearls.

Annabeth grimaced. "No gift comes without a price."

That reminded Leo oddly of what Nemesis told him when she warned him about opening the fortune cookie.

He shivered. Bad memory.

"They were free."

Leo snorted. "That's not what she means. She's not referring to money."

Annabeth nodded. "'There is no such thing as a free lunch.' That's an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait."

On that wonderful thought, they turned their backs on the sea and headed up the beach.

* * *

With some spare change from Ares's backpack (Leo glared at it when the others weren't looking), they took the bus into West Hollywood.

Of course, the driver had never heard of DOA Recording Studios. Leo should've expected that.

"You two remind me of some people I saw on TV," he told Percy and Leo. "You guys child actors or something?"

"Uh ... we're stunt doubles... for a lot of child actors," Percy lied.

"Trained in free running and parkour," Leo agreed. At least he was.

"Oh! That explains it."

They thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.

Leo had almost forgotten what that was like, people recognizing you from the news. By the Wilderness School, he was pretty close to looking legal, so the news focused on kidnapped kids and nine year old runaways. A fifteen year old runaway was three years away from being an adult... or maybe social services just didn't want to deal with him anymore.

They wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Leo didn't know the way because Nico had shadow traveled them to the building. Leo had never walked there before, and he'd never lived in California, so he couldn't be much help.

Twice, they ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.

Percy froze so suddenly, Leo took a few steps before realizing that Percy wasn't beside him.

Leo back tracked and found Percy standing in front of an appliance store window where a television displayed an ugly, fat man playing poker at a table. Three guys sat around the table, and a young blonde woman was sitting beside him, patting his hand. A TV news anchor was interviewing him.

A tear glistened on his cheek (although Leo suspected it was fake. This man reminded him of Teresa-although he was much uglier- because they both had the same look in their eyes- a look that told Leo they were hiding something, but they were _good_ at hiding it, and that made it worse). He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I-I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"There you have it, America." The news anchor turned to the camera. "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a grainy shot of Percy, Leo, Annabeth, and Grover standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" The woman asked dramatically. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

Leo snorted. "The things they come up with. First of all, you _are_ a delinquent, just not a violent one, and a terrorist? Please. The cult theory, though... that's promising."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"C'mon," Grover told them before hauling them away.

* * *

It got dark, and dangerous-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play. Leo was a runaway and had met some _interesting_ people, to say the least, but LA was... let's just say, Leo wouldn't want to live there.

They walked past gang members, homeless people, other runaways (Leo even recognized a few that he'd seen in other states, and he made sure to keep his head down). Some of them looked at the demigods like they were trying to figure if they were worth the trouble of mugging.

As they hurried past the entrance of an alley, a voice from the darkness said, "Hey, you."

Leo was ready to break into a run (getting called out on the streets of a dangerous area is never good), but Percy, class A idiot at times, decided to stop.

Before Leo knew it, they were surrounded. A gang of kids had circled them. Six of them in all-white kids with expensive clothes and mean faces.

"Okay, let's all calm down," Leo said.

"No such luck, Valdez," one of them said.

Leo blinked. "How did you..."

Another rolled their eyes. "Dustin here used to be apart of Blake's gang," he said, stabbing a thumb at a kid decked out in all dark clothes. (This is explained in the authors note at the bottom)

Leo sighed. "Of course," he muttered, sarcastically.

The kids started coming closer.

Percy must've panicked because he uncapped his sword/pen/thing (Leo used to call it that just to tick... well, future Percy off).

When the sword appeared out of nowhere, the kids backed off, but their leader was either really stupid or really brave, because he kept coming at them with a switchblade.

Percy swung the sword.

"Percy!" Leo yelled.

The kid yelped. But he must've been one hundred percent mortal, because the blade passed through his chest, harmlessly.

He looked down. "What the ..."

"Run!" Percy yelled.

They pushed two kids out of the way and raced down the street, not knowing where they were going. The demigods turned a sharp corner.

"There!" Annabeth shouted.

Only one store on the block looked open, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said something like CRTYSUS WARTE BDE ALPECA. (I'm not sure if Leo has dyslexia, so I'm just assuming)

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover translated.

Leo shrugged. It was better than nothing.

Oh, man, was he wrong.

They burst through the doors, ran behind a water bed, and ducked. A split second later, the gang kids ran past outside.

"I think we lost them," Grover panted.

A voice behind them boomed, "Lost who?"

The demigods all jumped.

Standing behind them was a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile. He moved toward the kids slowly, but Leo got the feeling he could move fast if he needed to.

Leo mentally cursed. Bad feeling about this guy. He tugged on Percy's shoulder, but Percy was still blinking owlishly at the man.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

Yeah, Leo thought. You definitely are. He probably would've said it, but he had a bad feeling, and if this guy was a monster, no use adding fuel to the fire.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy told him. "We were just, um, browsing."

Leo inwardly groaned. Why didn't we just run? If this guy is only a sales man, we're screwed. If this guy is a monster, we're _really_ screwed.

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," he grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them. Say, you want to look at a water bed?"

"No, thanks," Leo practically yelped, but he had already put a huge paw on Percy's shoulder and steered him deeper into the showroom. Leo, Grover, and Annabeth had no choice but to follow.

There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, which reminded Leo of the time he put an invention in his foster sibling's mattress and rigged it to vibrate in the middle of the night to make him think there was an earthquake.

Leo mentally laughed. Good times.

...Priorities, Leo. Focus.

With his ADHD, that was easier said than done.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told them. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway."

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think ..."

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried, and dove in. "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Grover," Leo hissed. "Priorities."

"Come on, Leo. We can spare three minutes," Grover pointed out before relaxing on the bed.

Leo rolled his eyes. Here we go. This is _first-quest-Leo-Valdez_ right here, he thought, mentally pointing at Grover.

"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his leathery chin. "Almost, almost."

"Almost what?" Leo asked. There was something off about the way he said that...

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what-"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"And you?" He gestured to Leo.

"No, thanks," Leo squeaked.

Crusty grabbed Leo's wrist and dragged him over to a model with Lava Lamps on the bed posts and fire red sheets.

Fitting, Leo admitted.

Leo tried to back away, but Crusty pushed him onto the bed.

"That was not cool!" Leo exclaimed. "Guys, come on. We have places to be."

"Hey!" Annabeth protested as her and Leo went to stand.

Crusty snapped his fingers. "Ergo!"

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.

Grover tried to get up, but ropes sprang from his black-satin bed, too, and lashed him down.

Leo was quick, but even he couldn't escape the ropes, which lashed at him and tied him down at the speed of light.

"N-not c-c-cool!" Grover yelled, his voice vibrating from the million-hand massage. "N-not c-cool a-at all!"

"Look, Voldemort," Leo snapped (that's who he reminded him of. They were both pale and had very creative ways to torture people. The difference was this guy had yellow teeth and a nose). "You better let us go, or this shop burns to the ground."

Crusty tutted. "You, young man, are much too short. "

Leo rolled his eyes. "I know! How is that relevant?"

The giant looked at Leo before Annabeth and then he turned toward Percy and grinned. "Almost, darn it."

Percy tried to step away, but his hand shot out and clamped around the back of his neck. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let my friends go."

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends are too short. Got to make them fit."

"Dude, I am only 5'2!" Leo shouted. "You are not stretching me ten inches!"

Leo, Annabeth, and Grover began to struggle harder.

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!"

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around their ankles and then around their armpits. The ropes started tight-ening, pulling the three of them from both ends.

It didn't hurt much at first, but after a few moments, the ropes started really tugging at Leo's spine, and he cried out in pain.

"Don't worry," Crusty told Percy, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

"Percy!" Grover yelled.

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" Percy asked.

Not the time for questions! Leo managed to think through his pain clouded mind.

"Legally, it's Procrustes," he admitted.

"The Stretcher," Percy said.

We hot that, Leo thought as he shuffled around on the bed, pain erupting in his back.

"Yeah," the salesman said. "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it."

God plan, Percy, Leo thought, but work faster.

His eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely," Percy said. "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

He grinned hugely, but his fingers remained on Percy's neck.. "I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!" Annabeth yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her," Percy told Procrustes. "She's impossible."

The giant laughed. "All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?"

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

He let go of Percy's neck, and he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe. He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

"Ah," Percy said, eyes wide and voice higher than usual. "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

The ropes were really stretching Leo now. Leo had never been burned, but he imagined that it felt like this. His hands were unconsciously heating up, and if everyone wasn't so distracted, they probably would've noticed his hair smoking.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was turning pale, and Grover made gurgling sounds, like a strangled goose.

Work faster, Leo mentally begged, but when he opened his mouth, only chokes gasps escaped.

"So, Crusty ..." Percy said, keeping his voice light. He glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special. "Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress. "No waves. See?"

Percy snapped his fingers. "Ergo."

Ropes lashed around Crusty and flattened him against the mattress.

"Hey!" he yelled.

Come on, Perce, Leo thought as his spine popped in numerous place. Much more strain, and Leo's spinal cord might just snap.

"Center him just right," Percy said.

Could you release us first? Leo thought, but his words became coughs on the way to his lips.

The ropes readjusted themselves at Percy's command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom.

"No!" he said. "Wait! This is just a demo."

Percy uncapped Riptide. "A few simple adjustments ..."

"You drive a hard bargain," Crusty told Percy. "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models.'"

"I think I'll start with the top." Percy raised his sword.

Stop mocking him, and hurry up! Leo tried to yell, but he flopped back on the mattress as the ropes tugged harder. His words were lost somewhere in his mind, which was foggy with pain.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

Percy swung the sword. Crusty stopped making offers.

Percy cut the ropes on the other beds. Annabeth and Grover got to their feet, groaning and wincing and cursing Percy a lot. Leo gladly joined them.

"You look taller," Percy said.

"Yeah," Leo gasped, sarcastically. "That makes up for the torture session."

"I know, right?" Grover agreed, even more sarcastically than Leo (challenge accepted, Leo thought).

"Very funny," Annabeth said to Percy. "Be faster next time."

Leo nodded. "Although I hope there isn't a next time."

Percy looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk.

"Come on," Percy told his friends when he found the address of DOA Recording Studios.

"Give us a minute," Grover complained. "We were almost stretched to death.'"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here."

* * *

 _Once again, sorry I was gone for so long. Hope you enjoyed the chapter._

 _Also, if you suggested a character in trivia, and your character has not shown up yet, message me. I'm a forgetful person. I know that Dakota has been suggested. Anyone else that has gotten trivia and suggested a character, message me. Thanks_

 ** _Trivia:_**

 ** _What is Leo's full first name?_**


	10. Cerberus Is Actually A Big Sweetheart!

_Sorry for the long wait!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

 **DOA RECORDING STUDIOS**

Leo shivered at seeing the entrance to the Underworld. He'd only been there a handful of times, and the last time was the brief glimpse he caught of it before appearing in Cronos's throne room (now that Leo thought about it, he didn't even remember how he got there. It was safe to assume he died, but he didn't remember dying at all. That was probably for the best). Yeah, he was still not too happy about visiting again.

Leo stared at the words stenciled upon the glass doors.

NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

 _"Looks like we're breaking the rules," Leo weakly joked._

 _Nico smiled, bitterly. "We're demigods. When do we **follow** the rules?"_

 _"Good point. Ready to go in?"_

 _"Nope."_

 _"Neither am I. Let's go."_

Leo shook himself out of the memory and focused on the people inside.

Despite the late night, the lobby was brightly lit (almost excessively so) and full of people (ghosts, Leo's mind corrected). Behind the security desk sat a buff gourd with sunglasses and an ear piece.

 _"Charon," Leo stated, and the man looked up._

 _"Back again? Hello, Valdez, Nico. What do you need this time?"_

 _"We need to speak with-"_

Leo was jolted out of his flashback by Percy's voice.

"Okay," the son of Poseidon was saying. "You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah. I love the plan."

Annabeth said, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Don't think negative."

"Right," she said. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

"It could be worse," Leo stated.

"How?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, let's see. It could be Tarturas, a cave full of giants, or Alaska. "

Annabeth blinked. "Way to look on the bright side of things."

"Hey, if something looks bad, replace it with something worse. It makes me feel better."

Besides, compared to a world where Gaea reigned, the Underworld wasn't so scary. Even Tarturas wasn't so scary, now that Leo thought about it.

Percy took the pearls out of his pocket, the ones he'd received at St. Monica.

Three pearls. Five people, including Percy's mom. Leo didn't have to be a genius to figure out that two of them wouldn't be leaving the Underworld with the others (Leo knew Hades would eventually return the remaining two, but the others didn't know that)

Annabeth put her hand on Percy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Percy. You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She gave Grover a nudge.

"Oh, right!" he chimed in. "We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mom. No problem."

"It'll all work out, Perce," Leo agreed. " _That_ , I can promise you."

Annabeth glanced at him, as if to say _don't make promises you can't keep_ , but Leo sent her a glance that was begging for her to trust him. She nodded, not sure how he knew everything would work or what trick he had up his sleeve, but deciding Leo's confidence in whatever back up plan he had was better than nothing.

Percy slipped the pearls back into his pocket. "Let's whup some Underworld butt."

They walked inside the DOA lobby.

It looked the same as it did in the future, although much less crowded.

Muzak played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands. The furniture was black leather, and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, people standing up, people staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, or talked, or did much of anything.

Leo stared at one little boy. He was around eight and facing the window; he was wearing a hoodie, a T-shirt, and jeans, and his entire outfit was covered in dirt. Maybe he'd been involved in a landslide or maybe he'd been kidnapped and buried alive.

But then the boy turned, and Leo's eyes widened.

It was Harley.

"Make it right, big brother," he whispered.

Leo rubbed his eyes, and when he looked again, Harley was gone. Grover, Annabeth, and Percy, although weirded out by the ghosts and the Underworld in general, didn't seem to have noticed Harley or heard him speak.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so the four of them had to look up at him.

Percy looked puzzled. "Your name is Chiron?"

Leo blinked. "His name is _Charon_ , Percy. They're entirely different."

"Thank you," Charon told Leo. "So many people mix up my name these days. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

Percy frowned at Annabeth, looking for support.

"We want to go to the Underworld," she said.

Charon's mouth twitched. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" she asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked us over. "How did you die, then?"

"There was a fire," Leo said before anyone else could open their mouths.

Charon frowned. "I see. I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children ... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins." Percy set three golden drachmas on the counter. He must've snatched them from Crusty's desk.

"Well, now ..." Charon moistened his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in ..."

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

Leo was prepared to dart into the elevator before Charon could notice anything, but…

Then Charon looked at Percy with a cold stare.

"Here now," he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No," Percy said. "I'm dead."

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff. "You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches.

"Leave while you can," Charon told them. "I'll just take these and forget I saw you."

He started to go for the coins, but Percy snatched them back.

"No service, no tip."

Charon growled again-a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

"It's a shame, too," Percy sighed. "We had more to offer."

Percy held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. He took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through his fingers.

Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr. "Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh ... just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot," Percy said. "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free.' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better," Percy agreed. "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter.

Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better. "I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

"And," Leo added, leaning closer to avoid the others overhearing. "I'm friends with a certain Bianca and Nico Di Angelo, children of Hades. I could always ask them to talk to their father about giving you a pay raise. If you let us through, of course. But if you don't, I could tell them to ask Hades to _cut_ your pay. It's your choice, Mr. Charon."

Charon blinked at Leo, seemingly shocked by the mention of Hades's children.

"You should be a negotiator," Charon told Leo. "All right, I'll let you in for all the drachmas currently on the desk and your part of deal," he said, looking at Leo.

Percy nodded. "Deal."

He stood, scooped up the money, and said, "Come along."

They pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits, who started grabbing at their clothes like the wind, their voices whispering things Leo couldn't and didn't want to make out. Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling:

"Freeloaders."

He escorted them into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with the four demigods and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?"

"What deal did you make with Charon?" Grover asked Leo.

"I told him I would ask someone close to Hades to talk to him about giving Charon a pay raise," Leo explained.

"How are you going to do that?" Annabeth asked.

"I have my ways," Leo assured her before going to stand by the rail.

For several moments, he stood alone, watching the murky waters of the River Styx swirl beneath them as they began to move across the water. He stared at the remainders of lost dreams, ripped wedding gowns, bloody baby blankets, torn diplomas, even photographs…

Leo stared at one in particular- a woman with a toddler on her lap. A corner had been burned away.

"I remember taking your mother across this river," a voice said, and Leo spun around to see Charon, now dressed in dark robes, leaning against the rail beside him. "She was trying to be brave. She wasn't afraid to die, but she was afraid of leaving her son behind."

For a moment, Leo wondered why Charon was being so sympathetic, but then he smiled, bitterly.

"Parents are always the most miserable," he said, smiling a cruel grin, before walking away.

Leo turned back to the River Styx, and he jumped when the water splashed against the side, nearly hitting his skin. Before he could think it through, he snatched the photograph from the waters and heated up his hand, not enough to burn or damage it, but enough to dry it.

He stared at the photo of his Mama. This photograph had been lost in the fire; a lot of photos had, actually. They were never picture kind of people, so they only had a handful, and the ones that weren't destroyed in the fire were taken by his Aunt Rosa.

(Leo's pretty sure she burned or cut his face out of several of them.)

"Leo."

Leo spun around, searching the crowd. No one was even looking his way.

Huh. For a moment, he could've sworn he heard Jason…

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which marched off in either direction as far asLeo could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby in the green gloom, echoing off the stones-the howl of a large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said. His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light. "Bad luck for you, godlings."

The bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A woman holding a little girl's hand. An old man and an old woman hobbling along arm in arm. A boy no older than Leo was, shuffling silently along in his gray robe.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

He counted the golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole. He warbled something that sounded like a Barry Manilow song as he ferried the empty barge back across the river.

Leo stored the photograph in his pocket before the demigods followed the spirits up a well-worn path.

Leo remembered the Underworld well, and while he wasn't scared of it after seeing the apocalypse, it still unsettled him.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top.

Beyond this were tollbooths manned by black-robed ghouls like Charon.

The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but Leo vaguely smiled, trying to hide it from the others. Cerberus looked mean and scary, but he was actually a big sweet heart.

 _"Nico?" Leo whispered, shakily, upon seeing the three headed dog._

 _Nico laughed. "Calm down, Valdez. He's no Mrs. O'Leary, but he's still a big sweetheart."_

 _"Nico, he's ten times the size of us!"_

 _Nico nodded. "I know, and he could bite our heads off if he wanted to, but I know the way to calm him down."_

 _Nico raised a red ball in the air and tossed it across the courtyard. Cerberus jumped in excitement and bounded after it, shaking the ground of the Underworld._

 _Leo gaped._

 _Nico shrugged. "Annabeth came up with it on her first trip to the Underworld."_

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH.

The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"What do you figure?" Percy asked Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields," she said. "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?"

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare-people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward-the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?"

Grover said, "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"Harsh," Percy said.

"Not as harsh as that," Grover muttered. "Look."

A couple of black-robbed ghouls had pulled aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk.

The face of the dead man looked vaguely familiar.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?" Grover asked.

"Oh, yeah," Percy remembered.

"Wasn't he that guy who raised money for orphans and then used it on himself?" Leo asked. He remembered that story, mostly because the first time around, he was living with a devoted Christian family, and they talked about it for days and how it was unbelievable how people could be so selfish. By the time Leo left that foster home, the story of the selfish preacher was imbedded into his brain.

Percy said, "What're they doing to him?"

"Special punishment from Hades," Grover guessed. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur-the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

"But if he's a preacher," Percy said, "and he believes in a different hell... ."

Grover shrugged. "Who says he's seeing this place the way we're seeing it? Humans see what they want to see. You're very stubborn-er, persistent, that way."

The demigods got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground, and Leo was the only one that didn't look uneasy as they crossed the trembling ground. If the others weren't so afraid, they probably would've noticed how oddly calm Leo was, but their apprehension distracted them.

Then, about fifty feet in front of the four of them, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster.

"He's a Rottweiler."

Leo frowned and turned to Percy. "What did you think he would be? A Labrador?"

"No," Percy said, but he was too shocked to elaborate.

The dead walked right up to him-no fear at all. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching.

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy muttered. "Why is that?"

"I think ..." Annabeth moistened her lips. "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

The dog's middle head craned toward us. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living," Percy realized.

"But that's okay," Grover said, trembling next to Percy. "Because we have a plan."

"Right," Annabeth said. Her voice was so tiny, it shocked Leo, but he understood. After all, they were facing a dog ten times their size. Leo's voice had been small when he first saw Cerberus, too. "A plan."

The four of them moved toward the monster.

The middle head snarled at them, then barked so loud, even Leo, who had heard Cerberus bark before, jumped.

"Can you understand it?" Percy asked Grover.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I can understand it."

"What's it saying?"

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly."

Percy fished a big stick out of his backpack, something he'd broken off of one of Crusty's beds, and he smiled as he raised it above his head. The stick shook as his trembling hand gripped it.

"GROWWWLLLL!"

"Good boy," Percy said weakly.

The son of Poseidon waved the stick. The dog's middle head followed the movement. The other two heads trained their eyes on the demigods, completely ignoring the spirits.

"Fetch!" Percy threw the stick into the gloom, a good solid throw. It splashed into the River Styx, and Leo blinked as Cerberus glared at Percy, unimpressed. He looked almost bored.

"Try the ball," Leo hissed.

"What?" Percy demanded.

"Try… the ball," Leo said, slowly, gesturing to Annabeth's backpack.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Great idea!"

She snatched the red ball out of her backpack and raised it high.

"You want the ball?" she said in a high pitched voice. "Go get it."

"If the stick didn't work, I don't think the ball is going to-" Grover began.

Annabeth hurled the ball through the air, and Cerberus leaped in excitement before chasing after it.

"And it worked," Grover said, eyebrows raised in surprise,

Cerberus returned with the ball in his middle mouth a moment later. The heads on the left and right were snapping at the middle one, trying to get the new toy.

"Drop it,'" Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus's heads stopped fighting and looked at her. The ball was wedged between two of his teeth like a tiny piece of gum. He made a loud, scary whimper, then dropped the ball, now slimy and bitten nearly in half, at Annabeth's feet.

"Good boy." She picked up the ball, ignoring the monster spit all over it.

"What is happening?" Percy asked.

"Apparently, she's doing obedience school," Leo snorted.

"How can you laugh at a time like this?" Grover demanded.

"Because it's hilarious. I mean, Annabeth isn't even five feet tall and she's training a dog that could leap over my old school! Don't tell me you don't find that ironic?"

"Oh, it's ironic. It's a lot of things, but it is definitely ironic," Grover muttered.

Annabeth turned towards her companions. "Go now. EZ DEATH line-it's faster."

Percy said, "But-"

"Now.'" She ordered, in the same tone she was using on the dog.

Grover and Percy inched along while Leo walked straight forward. Maybe he was daring. Maybe he was too familiar with Cerberus to remember how dangerous he could actually be. Maybe he knew it would all be okay. Maybe all three, but either way, he walked straight up to the dog without missing a beat.

Cerberus started to growl.

"Stay!" Annabeth ordered the monster. "If you want the ball, stay!"

Cerberus whimpered, but he stayed where he was.

"What about you?" Percy asked Annabeth as they passed her.

"I know what I'm doing, Percy," she muttered. "At least, I'm pretty sure..."

"That isn't very reassuring," Leo mumbled, but he didn't argue with her as the three boys (well, two boys and one half boy-half goat) walked between the monster's legs.

The three of them made it through.

Annabeth said, "Good dog!"

She held up the tattered red ball and threw the ball. The monster's left mouth immediately snatched it up, only to be attacked by the middle head, while the right head moaned in protest.

While the monster was distracted, Annabeth walked briskly under its belly and joined them at the metal detector.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked her, amazed.

"Obedience school," she said breathlessly. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman..."

"Never mind that," Grover said, tugging at Percy's shirt. "Come on!"

The four demigods were about to bolt through the EZ DEATH line when Cerberus moaned pitifully from all three mouths. Annabeth stopped.

She turned to face the dog, which had done a one-eighty to look at them.

Percy opened his mouth, but Leo stopped him.

"She made a new friend," he pointed out. "Let her say goodbye."

"New friend?" Percy asked, staring at the dog in apprehension.

"Hey, I was once friends with a table. Compared to that, this is normal," Leo pointed out. "Oh, and about the table… don't ask. It's a weird story."

"Oh, you are _so_ telling me that story some time," Percy chuckled.

"But not now!" Grover exclaimed as he began backing away from the three headed dog.

Cerberus panted expectantly, the tiny red ball in pieces in a puddle of drool at its feet.

"Good boy," Annabeth said, but her voice sounded melancholy and uncertain.

The monster's heads turned sideways, as if worried about her.

"I'll bring you another ball soon," Annabeth promised faintly. "Would you like that?"

The monster whimpered, and Leo honestly felt sympathy for the dog. He knew what it was like to meet and lose a friend in one day. Being a runaway had its pros and its cons.

"Good dog. I'll come visit you soon. I-I promise." Annabeth turned to the other quest members. "Let's go."

Grover, Percy, and Leo pushed through the metal detector, which immediately screamed and set off flashing red lights. "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus started to bark.

The four demigods burst through the EZ DEATH gate, which started even more alarms blaring, and raced into the Underworld.

A few minutes later, they were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security ghouls dashed past, yelling for backup from the Furies.

Grover murmured, "Well, Percy, what have we learned today?"

"That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks?" Percy guessed.

"That even huge three headed dogs want friends?" Leo suggested.

"No," Grover told them. "We've learned that your plans really, really bite!"

"Yes, they do, but they also work," Leo pointed out.

"Now… to Hades's palace!" Percy said with a weak smile.

"Try not to say that so cheerfully," Grover murmured.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!_


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